United States · United States Congress · 10 November 1997
Tax Code Termination Act - Prohibits the imposition of any tax by the Internal Revenue Code: (1) for any taxable year beginning after December 31, 2001; and (2) in the case of any tax not imposed on the basis of a taxable year, on any taxable event or for any period after December 31, 2001. Excepts the: (1) tax on self-employment income (chapter 2 of the Code); (2) Federal Insurance Contributions Act (chapter 21 of the Code); and (3) Railroad Retirement Tax Act (chapter 22 of the Code). Declares that any new Federal tax system should be a simple and fair system.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 1997
Directs the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to convey to Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, specified real property in Coyote, New Mexico, known as the Old Coyote Administrative Site, to be used for public purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 1997
Fort Stanton and Rio Bonito Corridor Vegetation Management Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, in managing land within Fort Stanton and the Rio Bonito Corridor that is under the Secretary's jurisdiction, to solicit competitive bids for and enter into vegetation sales contracts for the purpose of using livestock grazing as a vegetation management tool. Ratifies any such contracts entered into with respect to the land before the date of this Act's enactment. Requires management of Fort Stanton and the Rio Bonito Corridor to be consistent with any applicable land and resource management plan under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. Directs that, of the proceeds of such vegetation sales contracts: (1) 12.5 percent be paid to the State of New Mexico for distribution to Lincoln County, New Mexico, for purposes authorized by the Act of June 28, 1934 (Taylor Grazing Act); (2) 12.5 percent be deposited in the general fund of the Treasury; and (3) 75 percent be deposited in a special Treasury account for use in managing Fort Stanton and the Rio Bonito Corridor and to achieve the management goals and prescriptions identified in applicable resource management plans for the Rio Bonito acquired lands and the Fort Stanton area of critical environmental concern, but not for land acquisition.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1997
Hispanic Cultural Center Act of 1997 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to award a grant to the State of New Mexico to pay for the Federal share (50 percent) of the costs of the design, construction, furnishing, and equipping of the Center for Performing Arts that will be located at a site to be determined by that State's Hispanic Cultural Division, within the complex known as the New Mexico Hispanic Cultural Center. Requires the Director of such Division, as a condition of such grant, to submit certain documents to the Secretary and to execute a specified memorandum of understanding. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 1997
Iran Missile Proliferation Sanctions Act of 1997 - Directs the President to report periodically to specified congressional committees on foreign persons (except those previously identified or sanctioned or subject to waiver) who, on or after August 8, 1995, have transferred, or attempted to transfer, controlled goods or technology, or provided, or attempted to provide, technical assistance or facilities that contributed, or would have contributed, to Iran's efforts to acquire, develop, or produce ballistic missiles. Requires imposition on such persons of minimum two-year sanctions prohibiting: (1) sales to such persons of items on the United States Munitions List (and terminating sales of any controlled U.S. arms); (2) the export to such persons of dual use goods and technology; and (3) the provision of U.S. financial assistance. Authorizes the President to waive such sanctions on the basis of additional information demonstrating that the sanctioned person did not commit the acts alleged.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 1997
National Research Investment Act of 1998 - States purposes of this Act, including to double the annual authorized amount of Federal funding for basic scientific, medical, and pre-competitive engineering research over the ten-year period following enactment of this Act. Authorizes appropriations for covered research and development for FY 1999 through 2008 to be used by the National Institutes of Health of the Department of Health and Human Services. Sets forth limitations on the use of such funds.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 1997
Disapproves the President's cancellations (line item veto) of appropriations for 36 military construction projects in the Military Construction Appropriations Act, 1998.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 1997
Securities Litigation Uniform Standards Act of 1997 - Amends the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to proscribe bringing a private class action based upon State or municipal law in State or Federal court by any private party alleging: (1) an untrue statement or omission in connection with the purchase or sale of a covered security; or (2) that the defendant used any manipulative or deceptive device in connection with such a transaction. Declares that any class action brought in any State court involving a covered security shall be removable to the Federal district court for the district in which the action is pending.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 1997
Calls on the Smithsonian Institution, the National Gallery of Art, and any other premier art museums in the United States having pertinent expertise in restoration to provide technical assistance to aid in the restoration of the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi and the works of art that have been damaged in the 1997 earthquakes.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 1997
50 States Commemorative Coin Program Act - Amends Federal law to mandate redesign of quarter-dollar coins issued during the ten-year period beginning 1999, with the reverse side emblematic of five of the 50 States each year during such period, selected in the order of their ratification of the U.S. Constitution or their admission to the Union.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 1997
Medicare Beneficiary Freedom To Contract Act of 1997 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise provisions added by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 regarding the use of private contracts by Medicare beneficiaries for professional services. Outlines specific requirements for private contracts between Medicare beneficiaries and physicians or health care practitioners for services for which no Medicare claims may be submitted.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 1997
Expresses the condolences of the Congress on the death of Mother Teresa. Designates September 13, 1997, as a National Day of Recognition for the humanitarian efforts of Mother Teresa and those who have labored with her in service to the poor and afflicted of the world.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1997
Bandelier National Monument Administrative Improvement and Watershed Protection Act of 1997 - Modifies the boundaries of the Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico, to include specified lands within the Upper Alamo watershed. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, within such boundaries, to acquire lands (or interests in lands such as the Secretary determines shall adequately protect the Monument from flooding, erosion, and degradation of its drainage waters) by donation, purchase with donated or appropriated funds, exchange, or transfer of lands acquired by other Federal agencies. 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
Haskell Indian Nations University and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute Administrative Systems Act of 1997 - Provides that certain civil service laws relating to personnel management shall not apply to applicants for employment with, employees of, or positions in or under the Haskell Indian Nations University and the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute. Directs the president of each of the respective institutions to prescribe by regulation alternative personnel management provisions. Disallows covering current employees except pursuant to a voluntary election. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to delegate to the president of each of the respective institutions procurement authority with respect to the conduct of the administrative functions of the university. Authorizes as appropriations to each of the respective institutions for FY 1998, and for each fiscal year thereafter: (1) the amount of funds made available by appropriations as operations funding for the administration of such institution for FY 1997; and (2) such additional sums as may be necessary for the operation of such institution pursuant to this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1997
Amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 to authorize appropriations for FY 1998 through 2003 for maintenance of Indian reservation school roads. Amends Federal highway law to define Indian reservation school road as a public road that is: (1) within, adjacent to, or provides access to an Indian reservation (including associated trust land and restricted Indian land) having a land area of ten million acres or more; and (2) used by a school bus to transport children to or from a school or Headstart program. Includes such a road in the Federal lands highway program so that it can be treated under the same uniform policies as roads which are on the Federal-aid system. Requires funds available for Indian reservation school roads to be used by the Secretary of Transportation to pay for their maintenance cost in accordance with this Act. Allows a State or county with such roads on its maintenance system to apply for funding from the Secretary for the roads' maintenance, which the Secretary may grant if the Secretary determines that such funding from other sources is not sufficient to provide maintenance that ensures the safety and welfare of children being transported in a school bus to and from a school or Headstart program. Requires all maintenance work funded under this Act to be performed by: (1) contract awarded by competitive bidding; or (2) a State or county that the Secretary has determined has the ability to administer efficiently funds granted for such maintenance. Directs the Secretary to ensure that funding made available under this Act for Indian reservation school roads' maintenance for each fiscal year is supplementary to and not in lieu of any obligation of funds by the Bureau of Indian Affairs for road maintenance programs on Indian reservations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 1997
Designates a certain area as the New Mexico Commercial Zone. Exempts the transportation of certain passengers or property within the zone from the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Transportation or the Surface Transportation Board.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1997
Extends through FY 2000 a pilot program under which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs is authorized to make direct housing loans to Native American veterans. Requires consultation with tribal organizations and Native American veterans organizations in carrying out such program. Amends the Veterans Home Loan Program Amendments of 1992 to: (1) require annual reports concerning the pilot program to be submitted to additional specified congressional committees; and (2) require such reports to include a description of outreach activities undertaken under such program.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Department of Defense--Civil Title II: Department of the Interior Title III: Department of Energy Title IV: Independent Agencies Title V: General Provisions Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 1998 - Title I: Department of Defense - Civil - Makes appropriations to the Department of the Army and its Corps of Engineers for FY 1998 for: (1) authorized civil functions of the Department of the Army relating to rivers and harbors, flood control, beach erosion, and related purposes; (2) expenses necessary for the collection and study of information related to such purposes; (3) the prosecution of authorized water development and related projects; (4) certain flood control projects on the Mississippi River and its tributaries; (5) water development projects operation and maintenance; (6) the navigable waters and wetlands regulatory program; (7) flood control and coastal emergencies; and (8) general expenses. Authorizes use of the Revolving Fund to construct an addition to the United States Army Corps of Engineers Alaska District main office building on Elemendorf Air Force Base. (Sec. 101) Instructs the Secretary of the Army to advertise specified hopper dredge volume for competitive bid. (Sec. 102) Prescribes guidelines under which the Secretary of the Army shall provide planning, design and construction assistance to non-Federal interests in implementing water-related environmental infrastructure and environmental resources development projects. Title II: Department of the Interior - Makes FY 1998 appropriations to the Department of the Interior for: (1) the Central Utah Project; (2) the Bureau of Reclamation; (3) water and related resources; (4) Bureau of Reclamation Loan Program Account; (5) California Bay-Delta Ecosystem Restoration; (6) the Central Valley Project Restoration Fund; and (7) general administrative expenses and special funds. Title III: Department of Energy - Makes appropriations to the Department of Energy (DOE) for FY 1998 for: (1) non-defense energy research programs; (2) non-defense environmental management; (3) the Uranium Enrichment Decontamination and Decommissioning Fund; (4) the Nuclear Waste Disposal Fund; (5) general DOE science and research activities; (6) DOE administration; (7) Office of the Inspector General; (8) atomic energy defense weapons activities; (9) defense environmental restoration and waste management; (10) other DOE defense activities; (11) defense nuclear waste disposal; (12) DOE administration expenses; (13) the various geographical power marketing administrations of DOE (including specified costs for the hydroelectric facilities at the Falcon and Amistad Dams under the Western Area Power Administration); and (14) the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Title IV: Independent Agencies - Makes appropriations for FY 1998 for: (1) the Appalachian Regional Commission; (2) the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board; (3) the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC); (4) the NRC Office of the Inspector General; (5) the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board; and (6) the Tennessee Valley Authority. Title V: General Provisions - Declares the sense of the Congress that all equipment and products bought with funds under this Act should be American-made. Requires each Federal agency to give notice of this policy to any entity to which it provides financial assistance or contracts. (Sec. 502) Amends the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the planning, design, and construction of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Area Water Reclamation and Reuse Project, including the reclamation and use of nonpotable surface water. (Sec. 503) Amends the Yavapai-Prescott Indian Treaty Settlement Act of 1994 to increase authorizations for construction determined at 1997 prices.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Title II: Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subtitle A: Mortgage Assignment and Annual Adjustment Factors Subtitle B: Multifamily Housing Reform Title III: Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation Subtitle A: Spectrum Auctions and License Fees Subtitle B: Merchant Marine Provisions Title IV: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Title V: Committee on Finance Division 1: Medicare Subtitle A: Medicare Choice Program Subtitle B: Prevention Initiatives Subtitle C: Rural Initiatives Subtitle D: Anti-Fraud and Abuse Provisions and Improvements in Protecting Program Integrity Subtitle E: Prospective Payment Systems Subtitle F: Provisions Relating to Part A Subtitle G: Provisions Relating to Part B Only Subtitle H: Provisions Relating to Parts A and B Division 2: Medicaid and Childrens' Health Insurance Initiatives Subtitle I: Medicaid Subtitle J: Children's Health Insurance Initiatives Division 3: Income Security and Other Provisions Subtitle K: Income Security, Welfare-to-Work Grant Program, and Other Provisions Division 4: Earned Income Credit and Other Provisions Subtitle L: Earned Income Credit and Other Provisions Subtitle M: Welfare Reform Technical Corrections Title VI: Committee on Governmental Affairs Subtitle A: Civil Service and Postal Provisions Subtitle B: GSA Property Sales Title VII: Committee on Labor and Human Resources Title VIII: Committee on Veterans' Affairs Subtitle A: Extension of Temporary Authorities Subtitle B: Copayments and Medical Care Cost Recovery Subtitle C: Other Matters Title I: Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry - Amends the Food Stamp Act to permit State agencies to provide a specified hardship exemption from the food stamp program (program) work requirement for certain individuals. (Sec. 1002) Obligates specified additional funds for program employment and training programs. Sets forth State allocation and additional payment provisions. Title II: Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs - Subtitle A: Mortgage Assignment and Annual Adjustment Factors - Amends the Balanced Budget Downpayment Act, I to extend permanently certain foreclosure avoidance and borrower assistance provisions under the single family housing mortgage insurance program. (Sec. 2003) Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 with respect to the section 8 rental assistance program to make certain maximum monthly rent adjustment provisions for certain new and rehabilitated and nonturnover units applicable to FY 1999 and thereafter. Subtitle B: Multifamily Housing Reform - Multifamily Assisted Housing Reform and Affordability Act of 1997 - Part 1: FHA-Insured Multifamily Housing Mortgage and Housing Assistance Restructuring - Directs the Secretary (Secretary) of Housing and Urban Development to enter into agreements with participating administrative entities (with preference given to State housing finance agencies) to develop and implement mortgage restructuring and rental assistance plans for FHA-insured multifamily housing mortgages in order to: (1) reduce expiring section 8 contracts costs; (2) address troubled projects; and (3) correct management and ownership deficiencies. Includes two-tiered mortgage restructuring among plan incentives. Terminates program authority as of October 1, 2001. Part 2: Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends the National Housing Act to authorize the Secretary to make rehabilitation grants for certain insured projects. (Sec. 2203) Repeals specified Federal housing preference provisions under the United States Housing Act of 1937, the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act, the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965, the Low-Income Housing Preservation and Resident Homeownership Act of 1990, and the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992. Part 3: Enforcement Provisions - Directs the Secretary to issue implementing regulations. Subpart A: FHA Single Family and Multifamily Housing - Amends the National Housing Act to expand HUD authorities with respect to: (1) lender sanctions; (2) equity skimming; and (3) civil money penalties. Subpart B: FHA Multifamily Provisions - Amends the National Housing Act and the Housing Act of 1937 to expand multifamily housing-related civil money penalties. (Sec. 2322) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 to extend the double damages remedy. Title III: Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation - Subtitle A: Spectrum Auctions and License Fees - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 (the Act) to revise provisions regarding competitive bidding for use of the electromagnetic spectrum to authorize the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to: (1) use auctions as a means to assign spectrum; and (2) grant licenses or construction permits for spectrum assignment by competitive bidding at a later date than currently required (by the end of FY 1998) if certain requirements are met and the bidding is conducted in time for assignment by the end of FY 2002. Makes competitive bidding authority inapplicable to licenses or construction permits issued for: (1) public safety services; (2) public telecommunications services when the license application is for channels reserved for noncommercial use; (3) spectrum and associated orbits used within global satellite systems; (4) new digital television (TV) service given to existing terrestrial broadcast licensees to replace current licenses; (5) terrestrial radio and TV broadcasting when the FCC determines that an alternative method of resolving mutually exclusive applications serves the public interest better than competitive bidding; or (6) spectrum allocated for specified unlicensed use if competitive bidding would interfere with operation of end-user products. Extends competitive bidding authority through FY 2007. Requires the FCC, by the end of 2001, to assign by competitive bidding 45 megahertz (mhz.) located at 1,710-1,755 mhz. for commercial use. Provides that Federal Government stations assigned to use such band shall retain use until the end of 2003 unless exempted from relocation. Directs the FCC, by the end of FY 2002, to permit the assignment by competitive bidding of licenses for the use of currently allocated bands of frequencies that: (1) in the aggregate span not less than 100 mhz.; (2) are located below ten gigahertz (ghz.), of which no less than 40 mhz. shall be located below three ghz.; and (3) have not been designated for assignment, identified by the Secretary of Commerce as reallocable frequencies pursuant to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act, or allocated for Federal Government use. Requires the FCC to: (1) report to the President and specified congressional committees on recommendations for reallocation through competitive bidding and plans for relocation of displaced users; and (2) attempt to accommodate displaced licensees by relocating them to other frequencies and notify the Secretary whenever unable to provide for effective relocation. Amends the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act to require the Secretary of Commerce to make specified recommendations, upon receiving a report from the FCC on inability to accommodate displaced licensees, for purposes of reassigning such licensees to frequencies allocated for Government use. Sets forth requirements regarding: (1) the reimbursement of Federal spectrum users for relocation costs; (2) petitions by persons seeking to relocate Federal stations; and (3) Federal rights to reclaim reallocated spectrum. Directs the Secretary to make available for reallocation from Federal frequencies 20 mhz. located below three ghz. (Sec. 3002) Amends the Act to prohibit, under competitive bidding provisions, the renewal of a license authorizing analog TV services beyond the end of 2006. Extends or waives this deadline for a station in any TV market unless 95 percent of the TV households have access to digital local TV signals. Provides that commercial digital TV licenses shall expire at the end of FY 2003. Directs the FCC to report biennially to the Congress on the status of digital TV conversion in each TV market. Sets forth requirements with respect to the resale of, and competitive bidding for, spectrum previously used for the broadcast of analog TV. Directs the FCC to report the total revenues from such bidding by January 1, 2002. Requires the FCC to encourage broadcasters to transmit programming in digital format in the 30 largest markets by November 1, 1999. (Sec. 3003) Directs the FCC, no later than January 1, 1998, to allocate from the electromagnetic spectrum between 746 and 806 mhz.: (1) 24 mhz. for public safety services; and (2) 36 mhz. for commercial purposes to be assigned by competitive bidding. (Sec. 3005) Requires the FCC, within six months after enactment of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, to: (1) implement a system of spectrum lease fees applicable to newly allocated frequency bands assigned to systems in private wireless service; (2) provide incentives for licensees to confine their radio communications to the area of operation actually required for that communication; and (3) permit FCC-certified private land mobile frequency advisory committees to assist in the computation, assessment, collection, and processing of amounts received under the system of spectrum lease fees. Provides for: (1) a formula to be used by private wireless licensees and committees to compute spectrum lease fees; and (2) lease fees based on the approximate value of the assigned frequencies to licensees (with a fee cap). Directs the FCC to allocate for use under its spectrum lease fee program not less than 12 mhz. of electromagnetic spectrum, previously unallocated to private wireless, located between 150 and 1000 mhz. on a nationwide basis. Establishes in the Treasury an account for the spectrum license fees generated under this Act. Subtitle B: Merchant Marine Provisions - Extends through FY 2002 the current tonnage duties imposed upon foreign vessels entering into U.S. ports. Title IV: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to authorize the Secretary of Energy to store foreign-owned petroleum products in underutilized Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) facilities, subject to the following conditions: (1) funds resulting from the leasing or other use of an SPR facility after October 1, 2002, shall be available to the Secretary, without further appropriation, for SPR petroleum product purchases; (2) such stored petroleum product is neither part of the SPR, nor subject to the contracting requirements governing petroleum product not owned by the United States; and (3) such product may be exported. Title V: Committee on Finance - Division 1: Medicare - Subtitle A: Medicare Choice Program - Chapter 1: Medicare Choice Program - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to establish a Medicare Choice program under which each Medicare Choice eligible individual (one entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) and enrolled under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance)) is entitled to elect, in accordance with certain procedures, to receive Medicare benefits either through the traditional Medicare fee-for-service program or through a Medicare Choice plan. (Sec. 5001) Outlines the types of Medicare Choice plans that may be available, including: (1) fee-for-service plans; (2) plans offered by preferred provider organizations; (3) point of service plans; (4) plans offered by provider-sponsored organizations; (5) plans offered by health maintenance organizations; and (6) a combination of MSA (Medicare Choice savings account) plan and contributions to Medicare Choice MSA. Sets forth various special rules regarding, among other things, residence, individuals with end-stage renal disease, and individuals covered under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program or eligible for veterans or military health benefits. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide for broad dissemination of coverage option and comparison information to Medicare beneficiaries and prospective Medicare beneficiaries. Directs the Secretary to maintain a toll-free number for inquiries about Medicare Choice options and program operation, as well as an Internet site through which individuals may obtain such information electronically. Requires any Medicare Choice organization to accept without restrictions individuals eligible to make an election at any time during which such elections are accepted. Requires the approval of Medicare Choice marketing material and application forms before they are distributed. Outlines benefits and beneficiary protections. Requires each Medicare Choice plan (except MSA plans) to provide those items and services for which benefits are available under Medicare parts A and B and specified additional benefits, as well, at its option, as certain supplemental benefits, subject to the Secretary's approval. Prohibits a Medicare Choice organization from denying, limiting, or conditioning coverage or benefits based on any described health status-related factor. Prescribes plan disclosure requirements and an ongoing quality assurance program. Outlines a mechanism for grievances and appeals. Directs the Secretary to make monthly advance payments with respect to an individual's coverage to Medicare Choice organizations according to a specified formula. Requires the Secretary to establish separate payment rates for individuals with end-stage renal disease. Directs the Secretary and the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to each study and report to the Congress on appropriate measures for adjusting the annual Medicare Choice capitation rates to reflect local price indicators. Sets forth special rules for individuals electing MSA plans. Requires such an individual to establish a Medicare Choice MSA into which the Secretary shall make monthly deposits out of the Medicare trust funds in accordance with prescribed guidelines. Details rules for the submission and charging of premiums by each Medicare Choice organization. Sets limitations on enrollee cost-sharing for basic, additional, and supplemental benefits, except for MSA plans and unrestricted fee-for-service plans. Requires the Secretary to audit each year the financial records of at least third of the Medicare Choice organizations offering Medicare Choice plans. Prohibits a State from imposing a premium tax or similar tax with respect to payments on Medicare Choice plans or the offering of such plans. Sets out organizational and financial requirements for Medicare Choice organizations and provider-sponsored organizations. Directs the Secretary to establish solvency and capital adequacy standards for provider-sponsored organizations, and other standards for Medicare Choice organizations. Prescribes requirements, including minimum enrollment requirements, for contracts between the Secretary and Medicare Choice organizations. Provides for: (1) intermediate sanctions and civil monetary penalties to enforce contract provisions; and (2) procedures for termination of contracts. (Sec. 5002) Details transitional rules for the current Medicare health maintenance organization (HMO) program, as well as specified conforming changes in the Medicare supplemental health insurance policy (Medigap) program. (Sec. 5006) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to outline special rules for Medicare Choice MSAs. Excludes from gross income any payment by the Secretary to an individual's Medicare Choice MSA. Excludes from qualified deductible medical expenses any amounts paid for the medical care of any individual but the account holder. Prescribes a penalty for distributions from the Medicare Choice MSA not used for qualified medical expenses if the minimum balance is not maintained, with certain exceptions if the account holder becomes disabled or dies. Chapter 2: Integrated Long-Term Care Programs - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for programs of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE programs) for individuals age 55 or older who require the level of care required under the State Medicaid plan for coverage of nursing facility services. Specifies benefit and payment requirements. Limits PACE provider eligibility to public and private non-profit entities; but requires the Secretary to waive such limitations to demonstrate the operation of a PACE program by a private, for-profit entity. (Sec. 5013) Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on the quality and cost of providing PACE program services under Medicare and Medicaid, specifically comparing the costs, quality, and access to services by private, for-profit entities under the demonstration projects with the costs, quality, and access to services of other PACE providers. (Sec. 5015) Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 to extend the authorities for the social health maintenance organization (SHMO) demonstration project. Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 to increase the cap on the number of individuals who may participate in a SHMO demonstration. Directs the Secretary to submit to the Congress a plan for the integration of SHMO health plans and similar plans as an option under the Medicare Choice program. (Sec. 5018) Extends for an additional two years certain Medicare community nursing organization demonstration projects under the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987. Chapter 3: Commissions - Establishes the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare to: (1) review and analyze the long-term financial condition of the Medicare program; (2) identify problems that threaten the financial integrity of the Medicare trust funds and make appropriate recommendations to restore such integrity through the year 2030; and (3) analyze potential solutions to the problems identified that will ensure both the financial integrity of Medicare and the provision of appropriate benefits under such program, including the extent to which current Medicare update indexes do not accurately reflect inflation. Requires the Commission to make recommendations: (1) to restore the solvency of the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and the financial integrity of the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund through the year 2030; and (2) to establish the appropriate financial structure of the Medicare program as a whole and the appropriate balance of benefits covered and beneficiary contributions. Requires recommendations on: (1) the financing of graduate medical education; (2) the feasibility of allowing individuals between age 62 and the Medicare eligibility age to buy into the Medicare program; and (3) the impact of chronic disease and disability trends on future costs and quality of services under the current benefit, financing, and delivery system structure of the Medicare program. Requires a report to the President and the Congress. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 5022) Establishes the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to replace the Prospective Payment Assessment Commission and the Physician Payment Review Commission, hereby abolished. Requires the new Commission to review and make recommendations to the Congress about payment policies under Medicare (including certain specific payment-related topics). Authorizes appropriations. Chapter 4: Medigap Protections - Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to the issuer of a Medicare supplemental (Medigap) policy in the case of certain individuals terminated by an employee welfare benefit plan providing supplementary health benefits who seek to enroll under a Medigap policy not later than 63 days after termination or disenrollment. Prohibits the Medigap issuer from: (1) denying or conditioning the issuance or effectiveness of such a policy; (2) discriminating in the pricing of such policy because of health status, claims experience, receipt of health care, or medical condition; or (3) imposing an exclusion of benefits based on a pre-existing condition. (Sec. 5031) Specifies limitations on the imposition of preexisting condition exclusions during the initial open enrollment period in the case of a Medicare supplemental policy issued to an individual who is age 65 or older with a certain minimum period of creditable coverage. Provides for extending the six-month initial enrollment period under the Medicare supplemental policy program to non-elderly Medicare beneficiaries. (Sec. 5032) Creates under the Medicare supplemental policy program a high deductible feature which requires the policy beneficiary to pay annual out-of-pocket expenses (other than premiums) of $1,500 before the policy begins payment of benefits. Chapter 5: Demonstrations - Directs the Secretary to conduct demonstration projects in ten urban areas where less than 25 percent of the Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled with an eligible HMO, as well as three rural areas, which are to be treated as Medicare Choice payment areas. Requires such projects to: (1) apply a pricing methodology for payments to Medicare Choice organizations using a specified competitive market approach; (2) apply a benefit structure and beneficiary premium structure specified in this chapter; and (3) evaluate the effects of the methodology and structures on Medicare fee-for-service spending under Medicare parts A and B in the project area. Requires the Secretary to report on the project to the President, and the President to report to the Congress any legislative recommendations for extending the project to the entire Medicare population. (Sec. 5042) Provides that, in the case of a Medicare Choice payment area in which such a project is being conducted, the annual Medicare Choice capitation rate shall be the standardized payment amount determined according to prescribed guidelines rather than the amount determined under the Medicare Choice program. Establishes within HHS the Office of Competition to administer Medicare Choice competitive pricing demonstrations. (Sec. 5043) Outlines benefits and beneficiary premiums under Medicare Choice competitive pricing demonstrations, which include, respectively, those items and services traditionally covered under Medicare plus prescription drugs as well as any optional supplemental benefits the demonstration plan offers, and certain cost-sharing obligations. (Sec. 5045) Directs the Secretary to implement a time-limited demonstration project for the purpose of evaluating the use of a third-party contractor to conduct the Medicare Choice plan enrollment and disenrollment functions in an area. (Sec. 5046) Directs the Secretary to conduct demonstration projects in a certain number of rural and urban areas for the purpose of evaluating methods, such as case management and other models of coordinated care, that improve the quality of items and services provided to target individuals, and reduce Medicare expenditures for such items and services. Defines target individual as an individual with a chronic illness who is enrolled under the Medicare parts A and B fee-for-service program. Provides for project funding. (Sec. 5047) Authorizes the HHS Secretary and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a demonstration project under which the HHS Secretary shall reimburse the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from the Medicare trust funds for Medicare health care services furnished to certain targeted Medicare-eligible veterans. Directs the Secretaries to try to include in the demonstration at least one medical center that is in the same catchment area as a closed military medical facility. Authorizes the HHS Secretary and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a similar demonstration (subvention) project under which the HHS Secretary shall reimburse the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from the Medicare trust funds for Medicare health care services furnished to certain targeted Medicare-eligible military retirees or dependents. Directs the Secretary of Defense to waive the enrollment fee for any Medicare-eligible military retiree or dependent enrolled in the managed care option of the TRICARE program for any period for which reimbursement is made under such a demonstration project with respect to such retiree or dependent. Chapter 6: Tax Treatment of Hospitals Participating in Provider-Sponsored Organizations - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that an organization shall not fail to be treated as a tax-exempt charitable organization solely because a hospital which it owns and operates also participates in a provider-sponsored organization, whether or not the provider-sponsored organization is exempt from tax. Provides that for any person with a material financial interest in such a provider-sponsored organization shall be treated as a private shareholder or individual with respect to the hospital. Subtitle B: Prevention Initiatives - Outlines various specified new preventive health measures covered under Medicare, namely coverage for: (1) annual screening mammography for women over age 39, while providing for the waiver of coinsurance for screening mammography; (2) colorectal cancer screening tests, subject to prescribed frequency and payment limits; (3) diabetes outpatient self-management training services, including blood-testing strips (with a ten percent payment reduction after 1997) and glucose monitors as durable medical equipment (DME) for individuals with diabetes; and (4) bone mass measurements for qualified individuals. (Sec. 5103) Directs the Secretary to establish outcome measures, including glysolated hemoglobin (past 90-day average blood sugar levels), for the purpose of evaluating the improvement of health status of Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes mellitus, with a view to recommending coverage modifications. Subtitle C: Rural Initiatives - Revises the formula for payments to sole community hospitals, in order to increase a hospital's target amount, by replacing the base cost reporting period with: (1) a hospital's cost reporting period for FY 1997; and (2) allowable operating costs of inpatient hospital services for subsequent fiscal years. Extends the target amount for Medicare- dependent, small rural hospitals. (Sec. 5153) Replaces the Essential Access Community Hospital Program with an optional Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program under which participating States shall develop at least one rural health network in the State and at least one facility that shall be designated as a critical access hospital in accordance with prescribed guidelines. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to States: (1) for the planning and implementation of the program; and (2) for establishment or expansion of rural emergency medical services. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration to report to the Congress on the feasibility of, and administrative requirements necessary to establish, an alternative for certain medical diagnoses to the current 96-hour limitation for inpatient care in critical access hospitals. (Sec. 5154) Amends SSA title XVIII to prohibit denial, on the basis of wage comparisons, of a rural referral center's request for reclassification. Provides that any hospital classified as a rural referral center for FY 1991 shall be classified as such for FY 1998 and each subsequent fiscal year. (Sec. 5155) Amends requirements for rural health clinic services with respect to: (1) per-visit payment limits for provider-based clinics; (2) mandatory quality assessment and performance improvement programs; (3) limitation of waivers of certain staffing requirements to clinics participating in the rural health clinic program; (4) the insufficiency of needed health care practitioners in shortage areas; and (5) regulations providing for payment for certain physician assistant services. (Sec. 5156) Directs the Secretary to make payments from the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund under Medicare part B in accordance with a specified payment methodology for professional consultation via telecommunications systems with a health care provider furnishing a service for which payment may be made to a Medicare beneficiary residing in a rural health professional shortage area, notwithstanding that the individual health care provider providing the professional consultation is not at the same location as the health care provider furnishing the service to that beneficiary. Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress: (1) a detailed analysis of telemedicine and telehealth (T&T) services; and (2) an examination of the possibility of making similar payments for professional consultation via telecommunications systems to Medicare beneficiaries who do not reside in a rural health professional shortage area, are homebound or nursing homebound, and for whom being transferred for health care services imposes a serious hardship. (Sec. 5157) Directs the Secretary to conduct a demonstration project to study the use of eligible health care provider telemedicine networks to implement high-capacity computing and advanced networks to improve primary care and prevent health care complications, improve access to specialty care, and provide educational and training support to rural practitioners. Provides limited funding. Subtitle D: Anti-Fraud and Abuse Provisions and Improvements in Protecting Program Integrity - Chapter 1: Revisions to Sanctions for Fraud and Abuse - Authorizes the Secretary to refuse to enter into Medicare agreements with individuals or entities convicted of felonies for offenses determined inconsistent with the best interests of program beneficiaries. (Sec. 5202) Authorizes the Secretary to exclude from the Medicare program any entity with respect to which a sanctioned person with an ownership or control interest in it transfers such interest in anticipation of (or following) a conviction, assessment, or exclusion against the person, to an immediate family member or member of the household who continues to maintain such an interest. (Sec. 5203) Provides for the imposition of civil monetary penalties for: (1) any person who arranges or contracts with an individual or entity that the person knows or should know is excluded from participation in a Federal health care program; (2) any person that presents or causes to be presented to any State or Federal agency a claim for a medical or other item or service ordered or prescribed by an excluded person and the person furnishing such item or service knows or should have known of such exclusion; and (3) kickbacks. Chapter 2: Improvements in Protecting Program Integrity - Outlines various specified requirements regarding disclosure of information, surety bonds, and accreditation with regard to DME suppliers. Includes surety bond requirements for home health agencies, and provides for the application of disclosure and surety bond requirements to ambulance services and certain clinics. Applies surety bond requirements to comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facilities (CORFs) and to rehabilitation agencies. (Sec. 5212) Requires any participating entity to disclose to the Secretary its own employer identification numbers and social security account numbers, as well as those of persons with ownership or control interests and subcontractors in which the entity has a five percent or greater interest. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on the steps taken to assure the confidentiality of such social security account numbers. (Sec. 5213) Amends SSA title XI part A (General Provisions) to provide that: (1) Medicare- and Medicaid-related actions against debtors are generally not stayed by bankruptcy proceedings; (2) certain Medicare- and Medicaid-related debts are not dischargeable in bankruptcy; and (3) the repayment of certain debts is considered final. (Sec. 5214) Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) replace the reasonable charge payment methodology with fee schedules developed by the Secretary for particular services; (2) provide for application of inherent reasonableness to charges for all Medicare part B services other than physicians' services; (3) require bills and requests for payment for services by non-physician practitioners to include diagnostic codes; (4) outline requirements to provide diagnostic information when ordering certain items or services furnished by another entity; (5) mandate establishment of competitive acquisition areas for contract award purposes for the furnishing under Medicare part B after 1997 of described items and services; and (6) prohibit payment under Medicare part A or part B for any expenses for an item or service furnished in a competitive acquisition area by an entity other than an entity with which the Secretary has contracted, except for urgent need, or in other circumstances specified by the Secretary. Chapter 3: Clarifications and Technical Changes - Makes technical amendments with respect to fraud and abuse. Subtitle E: Prospective Payment Systems - Chapter 1: Provisions Relating to Part A - Provides for a prospective payment system (PPS) under Medicare for inpatient rehabilitation hospital services. (Sec. 5302) Directs the Secretary to submit to the Congress a legislative proposal for establishing a case-mix adjusted PPS for long-term care hospitals. Chapter 2: Provisions Relating to Part B - Eliminates formula-driven overpayments for certain outpatient hospital services. (Sec. 5312) Extends the current reductions in payments for capital-related and other costs of hospital outpatient services. (Sec. 5313) Directs the Secretary to establish a PPS for hospital outpatient department services. (Sec. 5321) Provides for certain interim reductions in payments for ambulance services. Directs the Secretary to establish a prospective fee schedule for payment of such services. Provides that in promulgating regulations to carry out certain provisions with respect to the coverage of ambulance service, the Secretary may include coverage of advanced life support services provided by a paramedic intercept service provider (ALS intercept services) in a rural area if specified conditions are met. Chapter 3: Provisions Relating to Parts A and B - Declares that updates to per diem limits, with respect to payments to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), effective for FY 1998, shall be based on cost limits effective for FY 1997. (Sec. 5332) Mandates a PPS for SNF services along with consolidated billing for them. Directs the Secretary, in order to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries are furnished appropriate SNF services, to establish a thorough medical review process to examine the provisions of this chapter and their effect on the quality of covered SNF services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries. (Sec. 5341) Provides that, in establishing payment limits for cost reporting periods beginning after September 30, 1997, the Secretary shall not take into account any changes in the home health market basket with respect to cost reporting periods which began on or after July 1, 1994, and before July 1, 1996. (Sec. 5342) Revises requirements for interim payments for home health services. Directs the Secretary to expand research on a PPS for home health agencies under the Medicare program that ties prospective payments to a unit of service. (Sec. 5343) Directs the Secretary to establish a PPS for home health services for cost reporting periods beginning in FY 2000. (Sec. 5344) Bases the payment for home health services on the location where the service is furnished. (Sec. 5361) Provides for a modification of the Medicare part A home health benefit for individuals enrolled under Medicare part B. Provides for specified post-institutional home health services. (Sec. 5362) Imposes a $5 co-payment for Medicare part B home health services. (Sec. 5364) Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on the criteria that should be applied in determining whether an individual is homebound for purposes of qualifying for Medicare home health services. (Sec. 5365) Provides for the denial of home health claims based on home health services the frequency and duration of which are in excess of normative guidelines established by the Secretary. (Sec. 5366) Requires each explanation of Medicare part B benefits provided in conjunction with the payment of claims to include the total cost of home health services for which the agency or provider billed. Subtitle F: Provisions Relating to Part A - Chapter 1: Payment of PPS Hospitals - Revises requirements for PPS hospital payment updates and capital payments for PPS hospitals. Chapter 2: Payment of PPS Exempt Hospitals - Revises requirements for the payment of PPS exempt hospitals, including those for: (1) payment updates; (2) capital payments; (3) bonus and relief payments; (4) target amounts for rehabilitation hospitals, long-term care hospitals, and psychiatric hospitals; (5) treatment of certain long-term care hospitals located within other hospitals; and (6) certain cancer hospitals. (Sec. 5427) Amends SSA title XVIII to eliminate any exemptions from the method for determining the amount of payment to a hospital where events beyond the hospital's control or extraordinary circumstances create a distortion in the increase in costs for a reporting period. Directs the Secretary to publish annually in the Federal Register a report on the total amount of payments to hospitals by reason of any exceptions or adjustments made to the method described above for cost reporting periods ending during the previous fiscal year. Chapter 3: Graduate Medical Education Payments - Revises requirements for direct and indirect Medicare payments for graduate medical education (GME). Limits the number of residents in allopathic and osteopathic medicine. Permits payment to qualified nonhospital providers for direct GME costs. Prohibits restandardization of certain indirect GME payment amounts. Requires the Secretary to provide for direct and indirect GME payments to hospitals for managed care enrollees. (Sec. 5452) Directs the Secretary to establish a demonstration project for making direct GME payments to qualifying consortia instead of teaching hospitals. Chapter 4: Other Hospital Payments - Directs the Secretary to make additional payments (including disproportionate share payments (DSH)) to hospitals for managed care and Medicare Choice enrollees. Revises requirements for DSH payments to hospitals serving vulnerable populations. Eliminates indirect GME and DSH payments attributable to outlier payments. Requires reductions in payments for enrollee bad debt. Increases the base payment rate to Puerto Rico hospitals. Repeals the termination date to make a permanent extension of the hemophilia passthrough. Authorizes Medicare and Medicaid coverage of inpatient hospital and post-hospital extended care services in religious nonmedical health care institutions (currently limited to Christian Science sanatoria). Chapter 5: Payments for Hospice Services - Bases payment for home hospice care on the location where care is furnished. Revises the home hospice care benefit period. Provides for home hospice care coverage of any other items and services specified in a plan. Allows waiver of certain staffing requirements for hospice care programs in non-urbanized areas. Subtitle G: Provisions Relating to Part B Only - Chapter 1: Payments for Physicians and Other Health Care Providers - Revises requirements for the payment of physicians' services, with changes: (1) establishing a single conversion factor for 1998; (2) adding new update provisions; (3) replacing the volume performance standard with sustainable growth rate; (4) adding payment rules for anesthesia services; (5) providing for adjustments in relative value units for 1998; and (6) increasing Medicare reimbursement for nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and physician assistants. (Sec. 5505) Directs the Comptroller General to review and evaluate the proposed rule on resource-based methodology for practice expenses issued by the Health Care Financing Administration. (Sec. 5508) Directs the Secretary to conduct certain chiropractic services coverage demonstration projects. Chapter 2: Other Payment Provisions - Requires a specified reduction in updates to payment amounts for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests, while lowering the cap on payment amounts. Directs the Secretary to request the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences to study Medicare part B payments for clinical laboratory services for a report to the appropriate congressional committees. (Sec. 5522) Directs the Secretary to divide the United States into up to five regions, and designate a single carrier for each region, for the payment of Medicare part B claims for clinical diagnostic laboratory services. Requires the Secretary to adopt uniform policies for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests. (Sec. 5523) Provides for a reduction in payment amounts for items of DME. Revises requirements for payment for oxygen and oxygen equipment, ambulatory surgical services, and drugs and biologicals. Provides for a reduction in the increase for parenteral and enteral nutrients, supplies, and equipment. Directs the Secretary to establish service standards and accreditation requirements for persons seeking Medicare part B payment for the providing of oxygen and oxygen equipment to beneficiaries within their homes. Details certain studies, demonstration projects, and congressional reporting relating to access to home oxygen equipment. Chapter 3: Part B Premium and Related Provisions - Revises the formula for the monthly Medicare part B premium rate the Secretary promulgates each September for the following calendar year. Requires such rate to equal 50 percent of the monthly actuarial rate for enrollees age 65 and over for that succeeding calendar year. (Sec. 5542) Specifies a formula for a mandatory annual income-related increases in the Medicare part B deductible. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury, upon the HHS Secretary's request, to disclose to Health Care Financing Administration officers and employees certain income tax return information about a taxpayer required to pay a monthly Medicare part B premium. Subtitle H: Provisions Relating to Parts A and B - Chapter 1: Secondary Payor Provisions - Revises requirements for Medicare as secondary payor. Permits recovery against third party administrators of primary plans. Extends the claims filing period for employer group health plans. Chapter 2: Other Provisions - Amends SSA title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) to conform the age for eligibility under Medicare to the retirement age for OASDI benefits. (Sec. 5612) Provides for an increased certification period for certain organ procurement organizations. Division 2: Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Initiatives - Subtitle I: Medicaid - Chapter 1: Medicaid Savings - Amends SSA title XIX to establish a new part B (Managed Care) giving States the option to require Medicaid-eligible, non-special needs individuals to enroll in managed care arrangements of the individual's choice as a condition of receiving Medicaid. Prescribes requirements for: (1) referral to specialty care; (2) treatment of children with special health care needs; (3) access to emergency care; (4) annual external independent review of managed care entity activities and other specified quality care assurance measures; (5) fraud and abuse prohibitions and protections; and (6) enforcement sanctions. (Sec. 5701) Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on the effect of managed care entities on the delivery of and payment for the services traditionally provided through certain providers. Directs the Secretary and the Comptroller General to report annually to specified congressional committees on rates paid for hospital services under managed care entities. Directs the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences to analyze the quality assurance programs and accreditation standards applicable to managed care entities operating in the private sector or under Medicare contracts to determine if such programs and standards consider the accessibility and quality of the health care items and services delivered under such contracts to low-income individuals. (Sec. 5702) Amends SSA title XIX to grant States the option of providing Medicaid coverage of primary care case management services without the need for a waiver. (Sec. 5703) Repeals the (75-25) requirement that Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries under SSA titles XVIII and XIX, respectively, constitute less than 75 percent of the membership of a participating HMO. Repeals the prohibition on co-payments for services furnished by HMOs. (Sec. 5711) Repeals "Boren Amendment" provider reimbursement requirements. Requires the Secretary to study and report to the appropriate congressional committees on the effect on access to services, service quality, and service safety of the rate-setting methods used by States as a result of such repeal. (Sec. 5712) Revises requirements for Medicaid payment rates for qualified Medicare beneficiaries, placing a limitation on nonparticipating providers. (Sec. 5713) Provides that a State shall not be deemed out of compliance with certain such requirements because the State contracts, on a capital or other negotiated basis, with selected health care plans, individual health care providers, managed care entities, or other entities for the provision or arrangement of medical assistance, for case management services, or for coordination of medical assistance provided under the State Medicaid plan. (Thus eliminates the requirement of a waiver.) (Sec. 5721) Revises specified limitations of Federal payments for inpatient hospital services furnished by disproportionate share hospitals (DSH), including limitations on certain State DSH expenditures to institutions for mental diseases or other mental health facilities. Chapter 2: Expansion of Medicaid Eligibility - Grants States the option to: (1) permit workers with disabilities to buy into Medicaid; and (2) provide for 12-month continuous Medicaid eligibility for children. Chapter 3: Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) - Authorizes a State to establish a program of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE) for individuals who need not be eligible for Medicare part A benefits, or enrolled under Medicare part B. Requires the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on the quality and cost of providing PACE program services under the Medicare and Medicaid programs, specifically comparing costs, quality, and access to services by private, for-profit entities operating under demonstration project waivers with those of other PACE providers. Chapter 4: Medicaid Management and Program Reforms - Repeals: (1) the requirement that a State pay for private insurance; (2) obstetrical and pediatric payment rate and various other specified requirements; and (3) certain physician qualification requirements. Authorizes a State to impose cost-sharing for any Medicaid provided to certain individuals. (Sec. 5755) Revises a specified penalty for fraudulent eligibility. (Sec. 5756) Prohibits the expenditure of Medicaid funds for roads, bridges, stadiums, and other items and services not covered by a State plan. Conditions issuance or renewal of a DME supplier provider number on the supplier's provision of a surety bond and disclosure of all persons with ownership or control interests in the supplier, and of all subcontractors in which the supplier has a five percent or greater interest. Requires home health agencies to provide a surety bond. Revises conflict-of-interest safeguards. Declares that States are not required to provide medical assistance for items or services furnished by a person or entity convicted of a felony for an offense inconsistent with the best interests of beneficiaries under the State plan. Requires State action for program and beneficiary protection against waste, fraud, and abuse. Directs the Administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration to: (1) develop mechanisms to better monitor and prevent inappropriate Medicaid payments in the case of individuals who are dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare benefits; (2) study the use of case management or care coordination in order to improve the appropriateness, quality, and cost effectiveness of care for dually- eligible individuals; and (3) work with the States to ensure better care coordination for dual eligibles. (Sec. 5757) Requires the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on: (1) early and periodic screening, diagnostic, and treatment benefits; and (2) the effectiveness of managed care entities in meeting the needs of Medicaid enrollees with special health care needs. Chapter 5: Miscellaneous - Provides for: (1) increased Federal medical assistance percentages (FMAPs) for the District of Columbia and Alaska and increased payment caps for the territories; (2) coverage of community-based mental health services and optional coverage of certain Centers for Disease Control screened breast cancer patients; and (3) treatment of veterans pensions. (Sec. 5765) Revises the treatment as broad-based health care related taxes of certain State hospital taxes which currently are not subtracted as revenues from the State share of Medicaid expenditures for purposes of calculating the Federal share of such expenditures. Declares that an exemption from such State hospital tax for certain Federal-tax-exempt hospitals that do not accept Medicaid or Medicare payments (provide free care) shall not disqualify the hospital tax as a broad-based health care related tax (thus allowing continued exclusion of such State hospital tax from the requirement that provider-specific taxes be subtracted from the State share of Medicaid expenditures for purposes of Federal share calculation). Subtitle J: Children's Health Insurance Initiatives - Amends SSA to add a new title XXI (Child Health Insurance Initiatives) in order to provide funds to States to expand the provision of health insurance coverage to low-income children. Mandates coverage that is actuarially equivalent to the benefits required to be offered for a child under the Federal Employees' Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). Requires the use of funds to achieve such purpose through specified outreach activities and, at the State's option, through: (1) a grant program to subsidize employee contributions to a group health plan for health insurance coverage for a dependent low-income child, or to provide FEHBP-equivalent children's health insurance coverage for low- income children in the State; or (2) expansion of coverage of such children under the State Medicaid program who are not otherwise required to be provided medical assistance under Medicaid. Makes appropriations to carry out this title. Directs the Secretary to establish a basic allotment pool for distribution of funds to eligible States, with provision for bonus payments, including incentive bonuses. Prohibits their use for abortions except when necessary to save the life of the mother or if the pregnancy results from rape or incest. Exempts such a State program from the five-year limit on means-tested public benefits under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. Division 3: Income Security and Other Provisions - Subtitle K: Income Security, Welfare-to-Work Grant Program, and Other Provisions - Chapter 1: Income Security - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to make aliens eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) who, as of the date of enactment of such Act, were: (1) receiving such benefits; or (2) disabled and lawfully residing in the United States. Includes Cuban and Haitian entrants within the definition of "qualified alien" for purposes of welfare and public benefits. (Sec. 5812) Extends from five years to seven years the refugee and asylee eligibility period for SSI and Medicaid, and includes Cuban and Haitian entrants within such category. Provides a five-year food stamp eligibility period for such aliens. (Sec. 5813) Exempts from SSI eligibility limitations: (1) permanent resident aliens who are members of an Indian tribe; and (2) certain SSI recipients with pre-January 1, 1979 applications. (Sec. 5816) States that an alien who is ineligible for food stamps shall not be eligible for such program based upon SSI eligibility. Authorizes Medicaid eligibility based upon SSI eligibility. (Sec. 5817) Exempts legal aliens under the age of 19 from the five-year Medicaid limitation. Chapter 2: Welfare-to-Work Grant Program - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of SSA title IV to establish a program of welfare-to-work grants to States. (Sec. 5821) Sets forth requirements relating to State entitlement to non-competitive grants under such program and State distribution of such funds among local governments. Provides for competitive grants, based on program effectiveness and other factors, for State-approved projects proposed by local governments. Sets forth requirements for: (1) nondisplacement of other workers by participants in work activities under this program; (2) applicable health and safety standards; and (3) grievance procedures with respect to alleged violations of such nondisplacement and health and safety requirements. Provides for such grants to outlying areas and to Indian tribes. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) develop a plan to evaluate the use of such grants; and (2) submit interim and final reports to the Congress. (Sec. 5822) Authorizes State plans to: (1) consolidate and automate the administration of low-income benefit programs, including Medicaid; and (2) contract competitively for the administration of such programs. (Sec. 5823) Revises PRWORA with respect to a State's ability to sanction an individual receiving assistance under the TANF program for noncompliance. Chapter 3: Unemployment Compensation - Amends SSA title IX (Employment Security) with respect to unemployment compensation to increase the Federal Unemployment Account ceiling. (Sec. 5832) Provides for a special distribution to States from the Unemployment Trust Fund. (Sec. 5833) Revises provisions relating to State laws defining base periods for unemployment compensation. (Sec. 5834) Revises the Internal Revenue Code exclude from the definition of employment, for specified unemployment compensation purposes, any service performed by a prison inmate. Division 4: Earned Income Credit and Other Provisions - Subtitle L: Earned Income Credit and Other Provisions - Chapter 1: Earned Income Credit - Prohibits allowing the earned income credit for: (1) ten years, if the credit was found to have been fraudulently claimed; and (2) two years, if the credit was claimed with intentional or reckless disregard of the earned income credit rules. Chapter 2: Increase in Public Debt Limit - Increases the public debt limit. Chapter 3: Miscellaneous - Expresses the sense of the Senate that all cost-of-living adjustments required by statute should accurately reflect the best available estimate of changes in the cost of living. Subtitle M: Welfare Reform Technical Corrections - Welfare Reform Technical Corrections Act of 1997 - Chapter 1: Block Grants for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to make various specified technical as well as substantive amendments with regard to sundry (welfare reform) provisions added by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRAWORA). (Sec. 5902) Provides for a later deadline for submission of State TANF plans. (Sec. 5903) Revises the computation of bonus grants to States for a decrease in illegitimacy, requiring: (1) use of calendar year instead of fiscal year data; (2) use of the ratio of out-of-wedlock births to all births instead of the number of out-of-wedlock births; and (3) that certain territories be taken into account. Revises the formula for annual reconciliation of payments to States with specified maximums. Limits to non-needy States the requirement for annual State remission of excess funds to HHS. (Sec. 5905) Revises specified mandatory work requirements. States that a family with a disabled parent shall not treated as a two-parent family. Allows the minimum work requirement for a two-parent family to be shared between both parents, if it amounts to a total of at least 55 hours per week. Deems the caretaker relative of a child under age six to meet work requirements if he or she is engaged in work for 20 hours per week. Allows 12 weeks of job search to count as work in a needy State. Extends to married teens the rule that receipt of sufficient education is enough to meet work participation requirements. Exempts teen parents from the limitation on the number of persons that may be treated as engaged in work by virtue of participation in vocational education activities. (Sec. 5906) Reinstates certain special rules applicable to aliens (non-213A aliens) who entered the country under affidavits of support formerly used (before PRAWORA added section 213A to the Immigration and Nationality Act, requiring such affidavits to be contracts enforceable against the sponsor by the alien or by the Federal Government for recovery of any public assistance paid the alien). Revises the income deeming rule for such aliens. (Sec. 5907) Changes from one month to 45 days the deadline for States to file quarterly reports before incurring a penalty. Conforms TANF penalties to those under SSA title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity). Provides for additional State TANF grant reductions for States which fail to expend additional State funds to replace previous grant penalty reductions. (Sec. 5908) Requires State quarterly reports to specify: (1) any disability benefits a child is receiving; (2) whether or not a family member under age 20 is also a parent of a child in the family; and (3) the number of families and individuals receiving TANF, and the total dollar value of TANF received by all families. (Sec. 5909) Reduces appropriations for tribal work activities programs. (Sec. 5910) Revises requirements for the methodology for determining child poverty rates to require county-by-county estimates of children in poverty only to the extent available. (Sec. 5913) Amends SSA title XI to: (1) revise the limitation on total payments to each territory under TANF and other specified SSA programs to require the disregard of certain payments under TANF in determining such limitation; and (2) treat certain child care and social services expenditures by territories as SSA title IV part A expenditures for matching grant purposes. (Sec. 5914) Makes conforming amendments to SSA title IV parts D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) and E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance). (Sec. 5917) Amends PRAWORA with regard to the denial of assistance and benefits for drug-related convictions. Revises the exemption from benefit denial for convictions on or before enactment of PRAWORA to specify convictions relating to conduct on or before such enactment date. Chapter 2: Supplemental Security Income - Amends SSA title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) and PRAWORA to make conforming and technical amendments relating to certain eligibility restrictions on prisoners and eligibility redeterminations and continuing disability reviews with respect to SSI benefits for disabled children. (Sec. 5924) Amends SSA title XI part A (General Provisions) to designate the Commissioner of Social Security instead of the HHS Secretary as the authority who shall determine the timing of grants and payments for jointly financed cooperative agreements or grants concerning SSA title XVI research or demonstration projects. Chapter 3: Child Support - Amends SSA title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) to modify child support requirements affecting: (1) individuals subject to fee for child support enforcement services; (2) distribution of State-collected support and State options for applicability of certain rules; (3) distribution of collections with respect to families receiving assistance and families under certain agreements; (4) civil penalties for failure to report required information to a State Directory of New Hires; (5) uses of the Federal Parent Locator Service, including access to its registry data for research purposes; (6) collection and use of social security numbers for child support enforcement purposes in State certificates and licenses for marriage, occupational, professional and commercial activities; (7) availability of funds earmarked for the Federal Parent Locator Service; (8) authority to collect child support from Federal employees; (9) direct Federal grants to Indian tribes for child support enforcement; (10) State retention of child support amounts collected on behalf of a child for whom a public agency is making foster care maintenance payments to the extent necessary to reimburse it for such payments; (11) high-volume automated administrative enforcement in interstate cases; and (12) statutory procedures to ensure that persons with child support arrearages have a work or payment plan. (Sec. 5956) Requires State plans for child and spousal support to: (1) mandate notification to the Secretary, whenever the Federal Parent Locator Service is utilized, that the State has reasonable evidence of domestic violence or child abuse, and that disclosure of such information could jeopardize the victims; and (2) prescribe safeguard procedures for State courts to utilize upon notification that the Secretary has such evidence, including a proscription against court disclosure. (Sec. 5959) Amends PRAWORA, with respect to the temporary limitation on payments under the special Federal matching rate for the development costs of automated systems, to revise the formula for allocation of such limitation to include certain systems approved by the Secretary to receive enhanced development funding, as well as systems that have received funding pursuant to a waiver. Chapter 4: Restructuring Welfare and Public Benefits for Aliens - Subchapter A: Eligibility for Federal Benefits - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to make certain aliens eligible for Medicare and Railroad Retirement Act benefits. (Sec. 5966) Makes technical corrections with respect to: (1) aliens under withheld deportation; (2) notification of unlawfully present aliens; and (3) Cuban and Haitian entrants. (Sec. 5967) Requires alien veterans to have fulfilled minimum active duty service requirements to be eligible for specified Federal and State public assistance programs. Extends assistance eligibility to the unremarried surviving spouse of such a veteran. (Sec. 5970) States that the term "Federal public benefit" shall not apply with respect to grants, contracts, or appropriations to citizens of a freely associated state under specified circumstances. (Sec. 5971) Expresses the sense of the Congress that permanent resident Hmong and other Highland Lao veterans who fought on behalf of the United States during the Vietnam conflict should be considered veterans for purposes of continuing certain assistance benefits. Subchapter B: General Provisions - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 with respect to the treatment of certain battered aliens as "qualified aliens" to: (1) transfer determination authority from the Attorney General to the providing agency; and (2) include the alien child of a battered parent under such definition and under the special income attribution rule. (Sec. 5973) Directs the Attorney General to promulgate procedures for State verification of alien eligibility. (Sec. 5974) Amends provisions concerning qualifying social security quarters. Subchapter C: Miscellaneous Clerical and Technical Amendments; Effective Date - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) of the Social Security Act to require States receiving specified grants to provide the Immigration and Naturalization Service with identifying information about illegal aliens. Makes technical corrections to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. Chapter 5: Child Protection - Amends the Social Security Act to make technical and conforming amendments relating to child protection. Chapter 6: Child Care - Amends the Social Security Act to make technical and conforming amendments relating to child care. (Sec. 5987) Repeals: (1) the Child Development Associate Scholarship Assistance Act of 1985; and (2) the State Dependent Care Development Grants Act. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to repeal the Federal grant eligibility of specified child care programs for at-risk secondary school students who are parents and their children. Amends the Native Hawaiian Education Act to repeal the authority to make direct grants to Native Hawaiian Family-Based Education Centers. Chapter 7: ERISA Amendments Relating to Medical Child Support Orders - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), with respect to group health plan coverage of children under a medical child support order, pursuant to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), to permit payment of plan benefits to a State or local official in lieu of the child. (Sec. 5992) Requires treatment as a medical child support court order of specified similar administrative orders. (Sec. 5993) Repeals the requirement that a medical child support order specify each health benefit plan to which it applies. Title VI: Committee on Governmental Affairs - Subtitle A: Civil Service and Postal Positions - Specifies increases in certain contributions to Federal civilian retirement systems. (Sec. 6002) Modifies the formula under which the Government contribution for health benefits for a Federal employee or annuitant enrolled in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program is determined. (Sec. 6003) Repeals the requirement authorizing transitional appropriations to the Postal Service Fund. Subtitle B: GSA Property Sales - Mandates the sale of Governors Island, New York. (Sec. 6012) Mandates the sale of specified air rights adjacent to Washington Union Station, including the air rights of Amtrak transferred to the Administrator of General Services (GSA). Directs Amtrak, as a condition of future Federal financial assistance, to transfer specified air rights to the GSA on or before December 31, 1997. Prohibits Amtrak from obligating Federal funds if it fails to comply. Title VII: Committee on Labor and Human Resources - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) with respect to title IV student assistance programs. (Sec. 7001) Directs the Secretary of Education to recall for deposit in the Treasury a specified amount of the reserve funds of State and nonprofit private loan insurance programs held by guaranty agencies on September 1, 2002. Denies the Secretary any authority to direct a guaranty agency to return reserve funds before such date. Requires each guaranty agency, between FY 1998 and 2002, to transfer a certain portion of its equitable share of the projected recall amount into restricted accounts for investment in U.S. obligations or other similarly low-risk securities. (Sec. 7002) Repeals the requirement that the Secretary pay direct loan origination fees to institutions of higher education. (Sec. 7003) Sets funding levels through FY 2002 for mandatory administrative expenses for the student financial aid programs. Reduces the previously authorized level of appropriations for FY 1998 ($750 million), while authorizing increasing amounts for subsequent fiscal years until the level reaches $750 million for FY 2002. Prescribes a formula for the calculation of administrative cost allowances payable to guaranty agencies. (Sec. 7004) Extends the HEA title IV student assistance program through FY 2002. Title VIII: Committee on Veterans' Affairs - Veterans Reconciliation Act of 1997 - Subtitle A: Extension of Temporary Authorities - Extends through December 1, 2002, the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to issue and guarantee the principal and interest on certificates or other securities representing an interest in a pool of mortgage loans made to veterans and guaranteed by the Secretary. Extends through FY 2002: (1) the authority of the Secretary to charge a home loan fee under the veterans' home loan guaranty program; (2) the default procedures applicable to home liquidation sales under the program; (3) the authority of the Secretary to obtain information under the Internal Revenue Code for veterans' income verification purposes; and (4) a $90 monthly pension limitation, after three months, for a veteran having neither spouse nor child and being furnished domiciliary or nursing home care by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Subtitle B: Copayments and Medical Care Cost Recovery - Amends the Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1990 to extend through FY 2002 the authority to require certain veterans to make copayments for the receipt of Department health care benefits. Extends through FY 2002: (1) the requirement that veterans pay $2 for each 30-day supply of medication furnished through the Department for the treatment of a non-service-connected disability or condition; and (2) the right of the United States to recover from a veteran the cost of Department care and services provided for certain non-service-connected disabilities. (Sec. 8023) Establishes in the Treasury the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Care Collections Fund for receipt of amounts recovered or collected by the Department for the provision of certain reimbursable health care and services provided to veterans and their spouses and dependents. Specifies authorized Fund uses. Transfers to the Fund any unobligated balance of the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical-Care Cost Recovery Fund. Subtitle C: Other Matters - Provides for the rounding down to the next lower dollar of cost-of-living adjustments in veterans' disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation rates for FY 1998 through 2002. Allows such adjustments to be no more than the percentage adjustment to social security increases for such year. (Sec. 8032) Increases the home loan fee rate charged for the purchase from the Department of repossessed homes (homes the loans for which were defaulted by veterans under the home loan guaranty program). (Sec. 8033) Revises the notification procedures under which the Secretary may waive all or part of the indebtedness owed by a veteran on account of any loan made to, or assumed or guaranteed by, the Department.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 1997
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the Senate recognizes and supports the Federal Government's legal and moral commitment to the education of American Indian and Alaska Native children which is a part of treaties, Executive orders, court decisions, and public laws which have been enacted by the House and Senate; (2) funding for all bills, including reauthorizing legislation in the 105th Congress with specific programs for American Indians and Alaska Natives, be at levels sufficient to meet the ever-increasing educational and economic demands facing Indian people; (3) the Senate recognizes the adult literacy needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives through the inclusion of tribal provisions in the administration's proposal to reauthorize the Adult Education Act; (4) the administration's bill for reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1995, Public Law 102-325, preserve the original purpose and intent of the Tribally-controlled Community Colleges Act and promote access to higher education opportunities for American Indians and Alaska Natives; (5) during the 105th Congress' reauthorization of agricultural research programs, the needs of tribal colleges as designated land-grant institutions must be given close attention, through amendments to the Educational Equity in Land-Grant Status Act of 1994; (6) early childhood programs such as Head Start and Healthy Start contain resources needed to meet a growing number of American Indian and Alaska Native children whose rate of growth exceeds the national average; and (7) the Senate recognizes the need for development and implementation of a Government-wide policy on Indian education which addresses the needs of American Indian and Alaska Native people.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 1997
Women's Business Centers Act of 1997- Amends the Small Business Act to: (1) authorize the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide financial assistance to private organizations to conduct five-year (currently, three-year) demonstration projects to benefit small businesses owned and controlled by women; (2) adjust the level of cash contributions required from Federal and non-Federal sources for each of the five years of the projects; (3) require each assistance applicant to submit a five-year (currently, three year) plan on proposed fund raising and training activities under a project; (4) allow each recipient to receive such assistance for five years (in lieu of three); (5) establish within the SBA the Office Of Women's Business Ownership to administer SBA's women's business enterprise programs; (6) require the SBA to report biennially to the small business committees on the effectiveness of projects conducted under this Act; and (7) increase the annual authorization of appropriations for such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 1997
Declares that the United States should not be a signatory to any protocol to, or other agreement regarding, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change of 1992, at negotiations in Kyoto in December 1997 or thereafter which would: (1) mandate new commitments to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions for the Annex 1 Parties, unless the protocol or other agreement also mandates new specific scheduled commitments to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions for Developing Country Parties within the same compliance period; or (2) result in serious harm to the U.S. economy. Calls for any such protocol or other agreement which would require the advice and consent of the Senate to ratification to be accompanied by: (1) a detailed explanation of any legislation or regulatory actions that may be required to implement it; and (2) an analysis of the detailed financial costs which would be incurred by, and other impacts on, the U.S. economy.
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 · 19 May 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Levels and Amounts Title II: Budgetary Restraints and Rulemaking Title III: Sense of the Senate Sets forth the congressional budget for the Government for FY 1998. Sets forth appropriate budgetary levels for FY 1999 through 2002. Title I: Levels and Amounts - Lists recommended budgetary levels and amounts, for FY 1998 through 2002, with respect to: (1) Federal revenues; (2) new budget authority; (3) budget outlays; (4) deficits; (5) public debt; (6) new direct loan obligations; and (7) new primary loan guarantee commitments. (Sec. 102) Sets forth for such fiscal years specified amounts of revenues and of outlays of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund. (Sec. 103) Lists the appropriate levels of new budget authority, budget outlays, new direct loan obligations, and new primary loan guarantee commitments for each of specified major functional categories for FY 1998 through 2002. (Sec. 104) Establishes reconciliation procedures. Sets forth a deadline for submission of specified Senate committee recommendations to the Senate Committee on the Budget. Requires that Committee to report to House a reconciliation bill without any substantive revision of such recommendations. Specifies outlay reductions, for each of FY 1998 through 2002, for the Senate committees on: (1) Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; (2) Commerce, Science, and Transportation; (3) Energy and Natural Resources; (4) Finance; (5) Governmental Affairs; (6) Labor and Human Resources; and (7) Veterans' Affairs. Specifies increased outlays for the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Directs the Senate Committee on Finance to report a reconciliation bill proposing changes in laws necessary to reduce revenues by up to specified amounts in FY 2002 and for the period of FY 1998 through 2002. Sets forth requirements relating to: (1) treatment of congressional pay-as-you-go-requirements; and (2) deficit neutral adjustments and limited flexibility on adjustments. Title II: Budgetary Restraints and Rulemaking - Establishes certain discretionary spending limits for each of FY 1998 through 2002 for defense and nondefense categories. Sets forth related provisions regarding points of order in the Senate, waivers, and appeals. Declares that the levels of new budget authority, outlays, new entitlement authority, revenues, and deficits for a fiscal year shall be determined on the basis of Committee on the Budget estimates. (Sec. 202) Requires the chairman of the Committee on the Budget to increase the appropriate allocations, budgetary aggregates, and discretionary limits specified appropriations measures reported in any of Fy 1998 through 2002 by the amount of budget authority in such a measure that is the dollar equivalent, in terms of Special Drawing Rights, of: (1) an increase in the U.S. quota as part of the International Monetary Fund Eleventh General Review of Quotas; or (2) any increase in the maximum amount available to the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant to the Bretton Woods Agreement Act with respect to new arrangements to borrow. (Sec. 203) Authorizes the chairman of the Committee on the Budget to increase by up to a specified amount any allocation in an FY 1998 appropriations measure (or conference report) which fully funds all contract renewal obligations for FY 1998 with respect to Section 8 Housing Assistance. (Sec. 204) Authorizes the chairman of the Committee on the Budget to increase by up to specified amounts for FY 1998 and for the period of FY 1998 through 2002, the allocation for any legislation reported (including a conference report) that provides funding to reform the Superfund program to facilitate the cleanup of hazardous waste sites. (Sec. 205) Authorizes the chairman of the Committee on the Budget to increase by up to a specified amount for FY 1998 the allocation for any reported legislation (including a conference report) that provides for priority Federal land acquisitions and exchanges under the National Park Service's Land Acquisition and State Assistance account. (Sec. 206) Authorizes the chairman of the Committee on the Budget to increase by up to specified amounts for FY 1998 through 2000 the allocation for any reported appropriations measure (including a conference report) that includes an appropriation for arrearages for international organizations, international peacekeeping, and multilateral development banks. (Sec. 207) Authorizes, upon the enactment of specified legislation, the establishment of certain reserve funds, for FY 1998 through 2002, for: (1) intercity passenger rail transportation; (2) mass transit; and (3) highways. Title III: Sense of the Senate - Expresses the sense of the Senate regarding: (1) long term entitlement reforms, including accuracy in determining changes in the cost of living; (2) tactical fighter aircraft acquisition strategy; (3) immediate 100 percent tax deductibility of the health insurance costs of the self-employed (to provide for their children's health coverage); (4) Senate opposition to use of a Medicaid per capita cap; (5) use of added savings under a balanced budget for deficit reduction; (6) reform elements to ensure fairness in Medicare; (7) assistance to Lithuania and Latvia; (8) establishment of a National Commission on Higher Education; (9) a lockbox requirement to ensure all savings from Medicare reform are used to keep the Medicare program solvent; and (10) additional programmatic changes to ensure that the primary purpose of the earned income credit is achieved without wasting billions of taxpayer dollars on fraud and error.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1997
Indian Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Improvement Act - Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to eliminate the pass-through of Federal assistance to Indian tribes that perform law enforcement functions (as determined by the Secretary of the Interior) and that agree to certain requirements applicable to the detention and confinement of juveniles. Requires that, with respect to any cooperative program conducted with an Indian tribe, the participation of the Indian tribe shall be funded from amounts made available under the program established by this Act to provide direct grants to Indian tribes. Directs the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, by regulation, to establish a program to provide direct grants to Indian tribes in accordance with this Act. Requires each grant made to an Indian tribe to be used by the governing body of the Indian tribe for: (1) establishing, operating, and evaluating projects for achieving compliance with certain requirements relating to juvenile detention, and otherwise meeting any applicable requirements of this Act; and (2) otherwise conducting activities to promote the improvement of the juvenile justice system of that Indian tribe. Requires an Indian tribe, as part of an application for a grant, to submit a specified plan for conducting activities described in the preceding. Directs the Administrator to: (1) annually award grants on a competitive basis; and (2) enter into a grant agreement with each grant recipient that specifies the terms and conditions of the grant. States that the period of a grant awarded shall be one year. Permits the Administrator, in any case in which the Administrator determines that a grant recipient has performed satisfactorily during the preceding year in accordance with an applicable grant agreement, to: (1) waive the requirement that the recipient be subject to the competitive award process described; and (2) renew the grant for an additional grant period. Makes each Indian tribe that receives a grant subject to a specified reporting requirement. Directs the Administrator to: (1) establish a program to provide technical assistance to assist Indian tribes in carrying out the activities described; and (2) after the end of the fiscal year during which this Act is enacted, and annually thereafter, issue a report to each advisory group established under a State plan that includes information relating to each grant awarded, including the amount of the grant. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 1997
Carlsbad Irrigation Project Acquired Land Transfer Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey to the Carlsbad Irrigation District specified real property within the Carlsbad Project in New Mexico. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Secretary should complete such conveyance within nine months after the enactment of this Act. Requires a report from the Secretary to the Congress if the conveyance is not completed in such time. Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide a written identification of all mineral and grazing leases in effect on such lands; and (2) notify all such leaseholders of the conveyance made by this Act. Requires receipts paid into the reclamation fund as credits to the Carlsbad Project to be made available to the District for Project purposes. Authorizes the Secretary to expend a specified amount annually from Bureau of Reclamation operation and maintenance funds to implement water conservation practices at the Project.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Reform of Existing Programs Title II: Incentive Grants for Accountability-Based Reforms Title III: Reform of Federal Juvenile Justice System Title IV: General Provisions Juvenile Crime Control and Community Protection Act of 1997 - Title I: Reform of Existing Programs - Revises Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 (the Act): (1) findings to specify that juvenile delinquency requires action by Federal, State, and local governments (currently, the Federal Government); and (2) purposes to include assisting State and local governments in promoting public safety by improving the openness of the juvenile justice system to the public and by encouraging the identification of violent and hard-core juveniles and transferring them into adult criminal court jurisdiction. (Sec. 103) Requires the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to develop objectives, priorities, and a long-term plan, and implement overall policy and a strategy to carry out such plan, for all Federal juvenile delinquency programs and activities relating to punishment and to submit such plan to the Congress. Replaces certain requirements regarding the Administrator's duties with a requirement that he reduce duplication among Federal juvenile delinquency programs and activities. Repeals requirements that the Administrator: (1) consult with the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and (2) require certain Federal agencies to submit annual juvenile delinquency development statements to the Council. (Sec. 104) Requires the Administrator to submit to the President, specified congressional leaders, and the Governor of each State a report containing data and analysis regarding the rate at which juveniles are taken into custody, the numbers of juveniles taken into custody, repeat offenders, juveniles using weapons, and juvenile and adult victims of juvenile crime, and trends. (Sec. 105) Amends Act provisions regarding block grants for State and local programs to authorize the Administrator to: (1) make grants to charitable and religious organizations and for specified purposes such as initiatives for holding juveniles accountable for acts of delinquency and improving juvenile court and law enforcement records; and (2) use specified sums to establish and maintain a clearinghouse to disseminate to the States information on juvenile delinquency prevention, treatment, and control, and to provide training and technical assistance. (Sec. 106) Repeals a requirement that a State plan for carrying out a State's purposes applicable to a three-year period under such Act be amended annually to include new programs and challenge activities subsequent to State participation. Rewrites provisions regarding an advisory group to require that it include: (1) members who have training, experience, or special knowledge concerning the prevention and treatment of juvenile delinquency, the administration of juvenile justice (including law enforcement), and the representation of the interests of the victims of violent juvenile crime and their families; and (2) as members at least one locally elected official representing general purpose local government. Requires the State plan to provide assurances that, in each secure facility located in the State, there is no commingling in the same cell or community room or any other regular, sustained physical contact between a juvenile and an adult offender. (Sec. 107) Repeals various Act programs, including provisions regarding the National Institute for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, special emphasis prevention and treatment programs, State challenge activities, treatment for juvenile offenders who are victims of child abuse or neglect, mentoring, boot camps, and the White House Conference on Juvenile Justice. Title II: Incentive Grants for Accountability-Based Reforms - Amends the Act to direct the Administrator to provide juvenile delinquent accountability grants to States that have: (1) policies and programs that ensure that juveniles who commit an act after attaining age 14 that would be a serious violent crime if committed by an adult are treated as adults for prosecution purposes, unless on a case-by-case basis, as a matter of law or prosecutorial discretion, the transfer of such juveniles for disposition in the juvenile system is determined to be in the interest of justice (but the juvenile's age alone shall not be determinative of whether such transfer is in the interest of justice); (2) graduated sanctions for juvenile offenders; and (3) a specified system of records relating to juveniles under age 15 who are adjudicated delinquent for conduct that if committed by an adult would constitute a serious violent crime. Makes such records available to law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, the courts, and school officials. Subjects school officials to the same standards applicable to law enforcement and juvenile justice system employees under Federal and State law for handling and disclosing such information. Makes such States eligible for additional sums upon demonstrating compliance with specified accountability-based youth violence reduction practices, such as mandatory victim and community restitution (including statewide programs to reach restitution collection levels of not less than 80 percent), public access to juvenile court delinquency proceedings, zero tolerance for truancy and for deadbeat juvenile parents, and specified recordkeeping and fingerprinting requirements for juveniles under age 14 who commit acts which, if committed by an adult, would constitute a felony under Federal or State law. Title III: Reform of Federal Juvenile Justice System - Directs the United States Sentencing Commission to promulgate, or amend existing, guidelines to provide that offenses contained in the juvenile record of an adult defendant shall be considered as adult offenses in sentencing determinations if such juvenile offenses would have constituted a felony had they been committed by the defendant as an adult. (Sec. 302) Amends: (1) the Federal criminal code to provide for the release of juvenile records as necessary to meet inquiries from officials of a school, school district, or any postsecondary school where the individual who is the subject of the record seeks, intends, or is instructed or ordered to enroll (school officials); (2) the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to authorize the referral of children with disabilities to juvenile and criminal authorities when such a child commits a criminal act; (3) the Federal judicial code to authorize the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Identification Division, to provide, upon request, certain information received under the Act to school officials; and (4) the Act to require the prosecution of a juvenile defendant age 14 or older as an adult if such juvenile is charged with specified offenses, including murder, robbery while armed with a deadly weapon, forcible rape, certain serious drug offenses, and a third or subsequent occasion on which such juvenile engages in conduct for which an adult could be imprisoned for a term exceeding one year, with exceptions. Title IV: General Provisions - Modifies the Act to authorize appropriations through FY 2002 for the Office, for block grants for State and local programs, and for incentive grants for accountability-based reforms. Specifies that the source of such appropriations may be the Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1997
Breast-Cancer Research Stamp Act - Requires the U.S. Postal Service to establish a special rate of postage for first-class mail that is one cent higher than the regular rate as an alternative that patrons may use voluntarily to contribute to funding for breast-cancer research. Authorizes the Service to design and sell special stamps. Requires the Service to pay amounts attributable (additional revenues minus costs) to the one-cent differential to the Department of Health and Human Services at least twice a year.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1997
First Flight Commemorative Coin Act of 1997 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue for a limited period ten-dollar gold coins, one-dollar silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the first flight of Orville and Wilbur Wright in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Instructs the Secretary to ensure: (1) establishment of a coin marketing plan; and (2) availability of adequate funds to cover the costs of implementing such plan.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1997
Distilled Spirits Tax Payment Simplification Act of 1997 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify or impose requirements regarding: (1) the transfer of distilled spirits (including imported distilled spirits) between bonded premises; (2) operations as a bonded dealer conducted on the bonded premises of a distilled spirits plant; (3) establishment and operation of such a plant by a bonded dealer; (4) election to be treated as a bonded dealer; (5) the time at which the tax on distilled spirits is determined; (6) distilled spirits lost or destroyed in bond or returned to bonded premises; (7) the time for tax payment and payment by electronic transfer; and (8) application to a plant used by a bonded dealer of provisions relating to sales by proprietors of controlled premises. Directs the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to assess and collect registration fees to defray a portion of the costs resulting from the enactment of this Act. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to study and report to the Congress concerning cooperative agreements regarding the collection of distilled spirits excise taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1997
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of the Congress, a gold medal to Mother Teresa of Calcutta in recognition of her contributions to humanitarian and charitable activities. Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike a suitable gold medal. Authorizes the Secretary to strike and sell bronze duplicates. Declares these medals to be national medals. Authorizes appropriations. Mandates deposit of sale proceeds in the Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1997
Petroglyph National Monument Boundary Adjustment Act - Amends the Petroglyph National Monument Establishment Act of 1990 to adjust the boundary of the Petroglyph National Monument, New Mexico, to exclude the Paseo Del Norte Corridor in the Piedras Marcadas Unit described in Exhibit B of the document entitled "Petroglyph National Monument Roadway/Utility Corridors." Requires the Corridor to be owned and managed as if it had never been within the Monument boundary.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1997
Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1997 - Repeals the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935. Prescribes procedural guidelines for both Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and State access to records of a holding company (including subsidiaries, associates and affiliates) of a public utility or natural gas company. Instructs FERC to promulgate a final rule to exempt specified holding companies from such access requirements. Requires FERC to exempt any person or transaction from such access requirements if it finds that regulation of such person or transaction is irrelevant to the jurisdictional rates of a public utility company. Retains the jurisdiction of FERC and State commissions to determine whether a public utility company may recover in rates any costs of affiliate transactions. Declares this Act inapplicable to: (1) the United States; (2) a State or its political subdivision; and (3) a foreign governmental authority not operating in the United States. Grants FERC certain Federal Power Act enforcement powers. Transfers from the Securities and Exchange Commission to FERC all books and records that relate primarily to the functions vested in FERC by this Act. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Federal Power Act to repeal its conflict of jurisdiction guidelines.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1997
Requests that a nationwide moment of remembrance be observed on Memorial Day, May 26, 1997, by the simultaneous pausing of all citizens to acknowledge the playing of "Taps" at 3:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) in honor of the Americans who gave their lives in the pursuit of freedom and peace.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1997
Economic Growth and Price Stability Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal Reserve Act to repeal the mandate of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Open Market Committee to maintain long run growth of monetary and credit aggregates in order to promote maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates. Replaces such mandate with a mandate to: (1) establish an explicit numerical definition of "price stability"; and (2) maintain a monetary policy that effectively promotes long-term price stability. Repeals the mandate of the Board and the Committee to report biannually to the Congress on national economic trends, taking into account unemployment, investment, and productivity. Replaces such mandate with a mandate to consult semiannually with the Congress and report on their plans and the time required to achieve price stability. Repeals the Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act of 1978 (Humphrey-Hawkins Act). Amends the Employment Act of 1946 and the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to reflect the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1997
Amends the Federal criminal code to require public disclosure of amounts paid to court-appointed attorneys upon the court's approval of such payment. Outlines disclosure requirements with respect to: (1) proceedings in pre-trial status or a trial-in-progress; and (2) a payment request which is not made by counsel until after completion of the trial. Allows limited disclosure of such fees in appropriate cases in order to protect a defendant. Requires the court to provide reasonable notice of such disclosure to counsel prior to payment approval to allow the counsel to request redaction of such disclosure in the interests of the defendant. Requires the court to withhold disclosure of such payments until completion of any appeal, unless the defendant's interests will not be compromised.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1997
Congratulates the residents of Jerusalem and the people of Israel on the 30th anniversary of the reunification of that city. Calls upon the President and the Secretary of State to publicly affirm as a matter of U.S. policy that Jerusalem must remain the undivided capital of Israel. Urges U.S. officials to refrain from any actions that contradict U.S. law on this subject.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 1997
Directs the Secretary of Education to deem timely any State's submission on March 10 or March 12, 1997, of certain written notices of intent to consider specified payments under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 in providing State aid to local educational agencies for school year 1997-1998. Authorizes the Secretary to require such a State to submit appropriate additional information, which shall be considered part of such notice.
![Official portrait of Sen. Domenici, Pete V. [R-NM]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000407_200.jpg)