United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2000
Medicare Wellness Act of 2000 - Title I: Healthy Seniors Promotion Program - Establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) a Healthy Seniors Working Group to establish policies and criteria for the HHS Secretary to make grants to approved applicants to study specified approaches to further health promotion and disease prevention among the elderly. (Sec. 101) Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 102) Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) should encourage inclusion of preventive health measures in all Medicare treatments; (2) HCFA should expand the study of the most promising behavioral modification of risk factors associated with health promotion and disease prevention for all Medicare beneficiaries; and (3) the National Library of Medicine should establish a Medicare health promotion and disease prevention intervention clearinghouse. Title II: Medicare Coverage of Preventive Services - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to outline Medicare coverage of various specified preventive services, including: (1) counseling for cessation of tobacco use; (2) screening for hypertension; (3) counseling for hormone replacement therapy; (4) screening for glaucoma and for diminished visual acuity; and (5) screening and counseling for osteoporosis. (Sec. 209) Extends Medicare coverage to medical nutrition therapy services for Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes, a cardiovascular disease, or a renal disease. (Sec. 210) Waives coinsurance and deductibles for certain preventive services, such as: (1) diabetes outpatient self-management training services; (2) colorectal and prostate cancer screening tests; and (3) bone mass measurement. (Sec. 211) Directs the Secretary to conduct a national falls prevention and awareness campaign to reduce fall-related injuries among Medicare beneficiaries and to integrate specified preventive benefits added by this Act with existing program integrity measures. Title III: Medicare Health Education and Risk Appraisal Program - Amends SSA title XVIII to direct the HHS Secretary to: (1) establish a health education and risk appraisal program to inform certain target individuals, including Medicare beneficiaries, of specified major behavioral risk factors through self-assessment; and (2) conduct periodic followups. Title IV: Disease Self-Management Demonstration Projects - Establishes in HHS a Disease Self-Management Working Group. Directs the HHS Secretary to conduct demonstration projects to promote disease self-management for conditions identified by the Group for described target individuals. Provides funding. Title V: Studies and Reports Advancing Original Research in the Field of Disease Prevention and the Elderly - Amends SSA title XVIII to revise reporting requirements for the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. (Sec. 502) Directs the Director of the National Institute on Aging to conduct one or more studies, for associated reports to the HHS Secretary and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, that focus on ways to: (1) improve quality of life for the elderly; (2) develop better ways to prevent or delay the onset of age-related functional decline and disease and disability among the elderly; and (3) develop means of assessing the long-term development of cost-effective benefits and cost-saving benefits for health promotion and disease prevention among the elderly. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 503) Directs the HHS Secretary to contract with the Institute to study and report to the President and Congress on health promotion and disease prevention among Medicare beneficiaries. (Sec. 504) Provides for fast-track consideration of prevention benefit legislation in the House of Representatives and in the Senate.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2000
21st Century Community Learning and Successful Schools Act of 1999 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to provide assistance to States, local educational agencies (LEAs), local park and recreation agencies, and community organizations to: (1) improve the academic achievement of at-risk students; (2) provide safe, constructive after-school and summer activities for school-age children; and (3) improve the quality and performance of teachers in public elementary and secondary schools. (Sec. 5) Revises requirements for certain school counseling demonstration grants, under ESEA title X part A (Fund for the Improvement of Education). Requires such grants to be for programs in kindergarten through grade eight. Directs the Secretary of Education, in awarding such grants, to give special consideration to applications that demonstrate the greatest need for new or improved counseling services to meet the needs of students who are at risk of being involved in delinquent behavior, becoming victims of crime, failing to meet the academic standards required to be promoted, or dropping out of school before the students graduate (at-risk students), as well as to meeting specified other current priority considerations. Eliminates a maximum grant limitation. Requires applicant LEAs to describe the particular emotional, social, and educational needs of the students who will be targeted by such programs. Requires recipient LEAs to use such grants to establish or improve counseling services through qualified school counselors, school psychologists, and school social workers. Authorizes appropriations for such program of school counseling demonstration grants, and for the following grant programs which this Act adds under the Fund for the Improvement of Education: (1) summer school; (2) enrichment; and (3) youth development. Authorizes the Secretary to make allotments to State educational agencies (SEAs) for grants to LEAs to support summer school programs for students who have not met academic standards required for promotion to the next grade. Bases such State allotments on relative amounts received under ESEA title I (Helping Disadvantaged Children Meet High Standards) part A (Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local Educational Agencies). Requires a reservation of funds for innovative programs. Authorizes the Secretary to make allotments to eligible State agencies for grants to consortia (consisting of public elementary or secondary schools, institutions of higher education, not-for-profit scientific and cultural agencies, libraries, or community organizations) to provide after-school and summer enrichment activities for youth. Bases such State allotments on relative amounts received under ESEA title I part A. Authorizes the Director of the National Park Service to make allotments to eligible State agencies for matching grants to local public park or recreation agencies for the support of after-school and summer youth development programs. Bases such State allotments on relative numbers of youth age five through 18. Requires a reservation of funds for innovative programs. (Sec. 6) Amends ESEA title II (Dwight D. Eisenhower Professional Development Program) to establish a new part E, Teacher Scholarships. (Transfers the current part E to part F.) Authorizes the Secretary to make allotments to eligible State agencies to award scholarships to individuals who attend approved teacher education programs and agree to become teachers in public elementary and secondary schools in underserved school districts for at least one year for each year of the scholarship. Authorizes appropriations for such Teacher Scholarships program. (Sec. 7) Authorizes appropriations to carry out ESEA title II. Directs the Secretary to reserve five percent of funds, under part B (State and Local Activities) of ESEA title II, to award grants for innovative teacher preparation and certification or licensure programs and to develop model teacher evaluation programs. Requires a State, in order for its SEA to be eligible for part B funds, to: (1) assess the professional development needs for teachers and principals; (2) adopt a plan to ensure, to the maximum extent possible, that all teachers employed by LEAs meet the State's certification or licensure requirements for the subjects in which the teachers teach; (3) adopt a plan to improve teaching in reading, mathematics, and science; and (4) establish guidelines, in cooperation with specified groups, to evaluate the performance of teachers and principals. Requires LEAs that receive part B grant funds to: (1) use at least 80 percent of such funds for professional development activities for schools in which student performance in core academic subjects is below the average performance for all students in the schools they serve; and (2) give priority to using such funds for professional development activities that ensure that all teachers are certified in the subject areas in which they teach, improve teaching in reading, mathematics, and science, and improve education and support services provided to students at risk of not meeting the academic performance standards required to be promoted to the next grade. Requires an LEA, in order to be eligible for part B funds, to establish a comprehensive system to evaluate the performance of teachers and principals in accordance with the guidelines established by the SEA. Requires such system to be developed in cooperation with specified groups and to include certain components.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2000
National Museum of the American Indian Commemorative Coin Act of 2000, or American Buffalo Coin Commemorative Coin Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue a maximum of 500,000 $1 dollar coins in commemoration of the opening of the Museum of the American Indian of the Smithsonian Institution. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States Mint Facility in Denver, Colorado, should strike such coins unless the Secretary determines that it would be technically or cost-prohibitive. Mandates that the proceeds from sales surcharges be paid promptly to the National Museum of the American Indian of the Smithsonian Institution to: (1) commemorate the opening of the Museum; and (2)supplement the Museum's endowment and educational outreach funds. Subjects the Museum to certain Federal audit requirements. Instructs the Secretary to take actions to ensure that coin minting and issuance will not result in any net cost to the Government.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2000
Congratulates Lithuania on the tenth anniversary of the reestablishment of its independence and the leading role it played in the disintegration of the former Soviet Union. Commends Lithuania for its success in implementing political and economic reforms.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2000
Holocaust Education Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make competitive grants to educational organizations to carry out educational programs about the Holocaust. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 29 February 2000
Smoker's Right to Know and Truth in Tobacco Labeling Act - Requires that: (1) cigarette labeling and advertising include one of specified warnings and a statement listing cancer-causing agents inhaled in the cigarette's smoke; (2) cigarette packages include an insert on carcinogens, toxins, and other substances posing a risk to human health contained in the cigarettes; and (3) smokeless, cigar, pipe, or any similar tobacco product labeling and advertising include one of specified warnings. Requires tobacco manufacturers, packagers, and importers into the United States to annually report the identity of any added ingredient or constituent other than tobacco or water and the nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide intake from the product for average consumers.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2000
College Fire Prevention Act - Authorizes appropriations for competitive grants to help provide fire sprinkler systems in student housing and dormitories. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award such grants to States, private or public colleges or universities, fraternities, or sororities to assist them in providing such systems. Requires grant recipients to provide matching funds equal to at least one-half of project costs. Directs the Comptroller General to gather, and report to Congress, data on the number of college and university housing facilities and dormitories that have and do not have fire sprinkler systems and other forms of built-in fire protection mechanisms.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2000
Resolution to Expand Access to Community Health Centers (REACH) Initiative - Expresses the sense of the Senate that appropriations for consolidated health centers under the Public Health Service Act should be increased by 100 percent over the next five fiscal years in order to double the number of individuals who receive health care services at community, migrant, homeless, and public housing health centers.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 2000
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a gold medal to John Cardinal O'Connor, Archbishop of New York, in recognition of his accomplishments as a priest, a soldier, and a humanitarian. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 2000
Hunger Relief Tax Incentive Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to set forth a rule for determining the amount of the deduction allowable for a charitable contribution of food inventory.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2000
Child Passenger Protection Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to update and improve crash test standards and conditions for child restraints in motor vehicles. Sets forth certain child restraint testing requirements. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to develop and implement a safety rating program for child restraints to provide practicable, understandable, and timely information to parents and caretakers for use in making informed purchases of child restraints.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2000
Amends the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 1998 and the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act, respectively, to extend deadlines for applying for relief under such Acts.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2000
Amends Federal law to require the Postal Service to establish a special rate of postage for first class mail that is up to 25 percent higher than the regular rate as a voluntary alternative that the public may use to contribute to funding for organ and tissue donation awareness. Requires collected amounts to be paid to the Department of Health and Human Services. Expresses the sense of the Congress that nothing in this Act should: (1) cause a net decrease in total funds received by the Department of Health and Human Services or any other Federal agency below the level that would have otherwise been received but for this Act's enactment; or (2) affect first-class or other regular postage rates. Requires special postage stamps to be made available to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2000
Kids 2000 Act - Directs the Attorney General to make grants to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America for the purpose of funding effective after-school technology programs, such as PowerUp, in order to provide: (1) constructive technology-focused activities that are part of a comprehensive program to provide access to technology and technology training to youth during after-school hours, weekends, and school vacations; (2) supervised activities in safe environments for youth; and (3) full-time staffing with teachers, tutors, and other qualified personnel. Directs the Boys and Girls Clubs of America to make sub-awards to local boys and girls clubs authorizing expenditures associated with providing technology programs, including the hiring of teachers and other personnel and the procurement of goods and services, including computer equipment. Sets forth provisions regarding grant eligibility, application requirements, and criteria for making grant awards. Authorizes appropriations. Allows funds to carry out this Act to be derived from the Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2000
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a congressional gold medal to Charles M. Schulz in recognition of his lasting artistic contributions to the Nation and the world. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2000
Calls on the Government of the People's Republic of China to: (1) immediately release Rabiya Kadeer, a prominent ethnic Uighur from the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of the People's Republic of China, her secretary, and her son; and (2) permit Kadeer, her secretary, and her son to move to the United States, if they so desire.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2000
Amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to: (1) extend through FY 2005 the authorization of appropriations for the Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund; and (2) define, for each of FY 2001 through 2005, the discretionary spending limits for the discretionary category and the violent crime reduction category, for purposes of allocations made for discretionary spending under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2000
Recognizes and honors Bob Collins for his work as Chicago's most respected radio personality and his philanthropic endeavors throughout Chicago. Expresses condolences to his wife, Christine, and to his mother and father.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2000
Know Your Caller Act of 2000 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to make it unlawful for any person or entity making a telephone solicitation to interfere with or circumvent a caller identification service from accessing or providing the call recipient with identifying information about the call. Directs the Federal Communications Commission to prescribe regulations implementing such prohibition. Provides a cause of action for a person or entity, or a State attorney general on behalf of its residents, for violations of such prohibition or regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2000
World Bank AIDS Prevention Trust Fund Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to enter into negotiations with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) or the International Development Association (IDA), their member nations, and other interested parties for the creation of a trust fund which would accept contributions from governments, the private sector, and nongovernmental entities and use them to address the AIDS epidemic in countries eligible to borrow from the IDA. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary for payment to the trust fund. Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on the goals, the programs and projects, and activities, including any vaccination approaches, supported by the trust fund and their effectiveness in reducing the worldwide spread of AIDS.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2000
Mother-to-Child HIV Prevention Act of 2000 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to direct the agency primarily responsible for administering assistance for health programs in developing countries to coordinate with UNAIDS, UNICEF, WHO, local governments, and other organizations to: (1) develop and implement effective strategies to prevent vertical (mother-to- child) transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); and (2) increase in scale intervention programs and introduce voluntary counseling and testing, antiretroviral drugs, replacement feeding, and other strategies more widely in due course. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2000
AIDS Orphans Relief Act of 2000 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize appropriations for the purpose of assisting microcredit programs that serve the very poor, especially women, in communities heavily affected by Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Sets forth certain program requirements. Amends the Agricultural Trade and Development Assistance Act of 1954 to authorize the President to provide food assistance to developing countries in order to assist them in mitigating the effects of AIDS. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2000
Recognizes the 50th anniversary of the Korean War, and expresses the gratitude of the American people for the service of members of the armed forces during such War.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2000
Savings for Working Families Act of 2000 - Title I: Individual Development Accounts For Low-Income Workers - Sets forth requirements for qualified individual development accounts (IDAs) for low-income workers, including: (1) the basic structure and administration of qualified IDA programs established by qualified financial institutions (QFIs) or qualified nonprofit organizations (QNOs); (2) procedures for opening an IDA with a QFI or a QNO and contributing money (of up to a certain amount, except in the case of qualified rollovers) in accordance with specified guidelines to qualify for matching funds from QFIs, QNOs, State, local, or private sources to be held in a parallel account; (3) QFI or QNO deposits of all matching funds (matched dollar-for-dollar for the first 500 contributed by an eligible individual to an IDA for any taxable year) for each IDA in a parallel, interest-bearing account at a QFI or QNO; (4) procedures for withdrawals from an IDA for qualified higher education expenses, first-time homebuyer costs, business capitalization costs, or rollovers to other IDAs of the individual or the individual's spouse or dependents; (5) certification to the Secretary of the Treasury or designated organization that qualified IDAs and other described accounts are operating pursuant to this Act, and termination of qualified IDA programs if the Secretary, or designated organization, determines that a QFI, or QNO, is not operating a qualified IDA program in accordance with this Act; and (6) reporting, monitoring, and evaluation requirements. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 105) Allows for withdrawal from an IDA for non-qualified expenses, but with forfeiture of all corresponding matching funds and interest earned on them, unless the withdrawn funds are recontributed within one year. (Sec. 108) Disregards funds in parallel accounts of program participants for purposes of certain means-tested Federal programs. Title II: Qualified Individual Development Account Program Investment Credits - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for a qualified IDA program investment by an eligible taxpayer (a QFI or a non-QFI meeting specified criteria) during the taxable year. (Sec. 202) Declares that QFIs which establish qualified IDA programs shall not receive credit for funding, administration, and education expenses under any test contained in regulations for the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 for those activities and expenses related to such programs and accounted for in the tax credit above. (Sec. 203) Authorizes an individual to designate that a specified portion of any overpayment of tax for a taxable year attributable to the earned income credit shall be deposited by the Secretary into the individual's IDA.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2000
High School and College Sports Gambling Prohibition Act - Amends the Federal judicial code to include as unlawful sports gambling a lottery, sweepstakes, or other betting, gambling, or wagering scheme based, directly or indirectly, on one or more: (1) competitive games in which high school or college athletes participate; (2) performances of high school or college athletes in competitive games; or (3) competitive games at the Summer or Winter Olympics.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2000
Recognizes the outstanding achievement of the St. Louis Rams in winning Super Bowl XXXIV. Congratulates the Rams and the Tennessee Titans for providing football fans with a thrilling Super Bowl played in a sportsmanlike manner.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2000
Declares the sense of the Congress that: (1) Congress should not interfere with normal immigration proceedings by taking any legislative measures designed to delay the reunification of Elian and Juan Gonzalez; and (2) the Immigration and Naturalization Service should proceed with its original decision to return Elian Gonzalez to his father, Juan Gonzalez, in Cuba, and take all necessary steps to reunify Elian Gonzalez with his father as soon as possible.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1999
New Markets for State-Inspected Meat Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to review each State's meat and poultry inspection program, which shall include: (1) determination of plan effectiveness; and (2) identification of changes necessary for future transition to a State program as provided for by this Act. Authorizes appropriations. Title I: Meat Inspection - Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to authorize the Secretary to approve a qualifying State meat inspection program and allow the shipment in commerce of carcasses, parts of carcasses, meat, and meat food products so inspected. Requires the Secretary to review such approved plans to: (1) determine effectiveness; and (2) identify changes necessary to ensure enforcement of Federal requirements. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into a cooperative agreement with a State to establish the relationship between the State program and the Secretary. Sets forth provisions with respect to: (1) product marking; (2) labeling requirements; (3) authority of the Secretary; (4) State reimbursement; (5) sampling, including salmonella testing; (6) noncompliance; (7) establishment inspections, including exemptions for restaurants and retail stores; (8) acceptance of interstate shipments of meat and meat food products; and (9) advisory committees. Directs the Secretary to temporarily suspend or take over a noncomplying State program (or an establishment). Provides for program reinstatement. Title II: Poultry Inspection - Amends the Poultry Products Inspection Act to make similar amendments to those in title I. Title III: General Provisions - Terminates the Secretary's authority to establish interstate meat and poultry inspection programs under this Act if approval and cooperative agreements have not been concluded by a specified date.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1999
Milton Friedman Congressional Gold Medal Act - Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of the Congress, a gold medal to Milton Friedman in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to individual freedom and opportunity in American society through his exhaustive research and teaching of economics and his extensive writings on economics and public policy. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates of such national medal. Requires proceeds to be deposited in the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1999
Older and Disabled Women's Protection From Violence Act of 1999 - Title I: Violence Against Women Act of 1994 - Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 to direct the Attorney General to: (1) make grants to law school clinical programs to fund inclusion of cases addressing issues of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, including domestic violence, and sexual assault against older or disabled individuals; and (2) develop curricula and develop training programs to assist Federal, State, and tribal law enforcement personnel (including local courts) in recognizing, investigating, and prosecuting instances of such abuse. (Sec. 101) Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Family Violence Prevention and Services Act - Amends the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act to instruct the Secretary to include, within grants for State domestic violence coalitions, funds to develop outreach, support groups, and counseling targeted towards: (1) victims of elder domestic abuse, and (2) individuals with disabilities who are victims of domestic violence. (Sec. 204) Expands the eligibility criteria for community initiative demonstration grants to include adult protective services entities. Title III: Older Americans Act of 1965 - Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to direct the Assistant Secretary for Aging to consider the importance of research about the sexual assault of women who are older individuals when establishing research priorities. (Sec. 304) Expands the scope of eligible demonstration projects to include domestic violence shelters and programs for elder individuals. (Sec. 305) Authorizes appropriations without fiscal year limitation to implement the ombudsman program and the elder abuse prevention program. (Sec. 306) Directs the Assistant Secretary to: (1) make grants to nonprofit private or tribal organizations to support local community initiatives to coordinate activities concerning intervention and prevention of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, including domestic violence and sexual assault against older individuals; and (2) implement and update continuing education training programs for adult protective service workers, persons carrying out a State Long-Term Care Ombudsman program, health care providers, and community-based social service providers to improve recognition and treatment of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, including domestic violence and sexual assault against older and disabled individuals. Title IV: Public Health Service Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize area health education center programs to use Federal grants to conduct and participate in interdisciplinary training that includes domestic violence, sexual assault, elder abuse screening, and referral protocols. (Sec. 402) Mandates that federally funded geriatric training for: (1) area health education center programs include training of faculty to provide instruction regarding identification and treatment of victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and elder abuse; and (2) physicians and dentists include screening for elder abuse and domestic violence and sexual assault. Title V: Financial Exploitation of Older Individuals - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to study and to report to Congress on the nature and extent of financial exploitation of older individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1999
21st Century Rural Utility Service Rural Development Enhancement Through Local Information Act - Amends the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to authorize the Administrator of the Rural Utilities Service to make loan guarantees (through a specified date) to providers of multichannel video services, including direct broadcast satellite licensees, to improve access to local television broadcasting to all households desiring such service in unserved and underserved rural areas. Requires loan guarantee approval by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Sets forth satellite carrier loan guarantee qualifications. Authorizes appropriations. Sets forth conditions under which a borrower shall be obliged to carry local broadcast signals without charge.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1999
Make College Affordable Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an annual income-adjusted deduction for qualified higher education expenses (tuition and academic fees) paid on behalf of a taxpayer, spouse, dependent, or grandchild. (Prohibits the use in the same year of such deduction and the Hope and Lifetime Learning Credits.) Establishes an annual income-adjusted credit (up to $1,500) for the interest paid during the first 60 months of a qualified higher education loan by a non-dependent taxpayer.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1999
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the Senate Foreign Relations Committee should hold hearings on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); and (2) the Senate should act on CEDAW by March 8, 2000, International Women's Day.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1999
Declares that the Senate: (1) recognizes the contribution of older persons to their communities; and (2) commends the work of organizations that participate in programs assisting older persons and that promote the goals of the International Year of Older Persons.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 1999
CT-43A Federal Employee Settlement Act - Directs the Secretary of the Air Force to pay $2 million to the specified beneficiary of each of the 14 Federal civilian officers and employees killed in the crash of a United States Air Force CT-43A aircraft on April 3, 1996, near Dubrovnik, Croatia. Provides that acceptance of such payment constitutes full settlement of all claims by that person against the United States arising from the death. Prohibits any representative of a beneficiary from receiving more than ten percent of a payment for services rendered in connection with the beneficiary's claim.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 1999
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State should: (1) take effective measures to ensure that U.S. assistance and exports of equipment to Mexican security forces are used primarily for counter-narcotics purposes and are not provided to units that have been implicated in human rights violations, unless the Government of Mexico (the Government) is taking effective measures to bring the individuals responsible to justice; (2) encourage the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) and the Government to take steps to create conditions for good faith negotiations that address the social, economic, and political causes of the conflict in Chiapas, to achieve a peaceful and lasting resolution of the conflict, and to vigorously pursue such negotiations; (3) commend the Government for its renewed commitment to negotiations and for establishing a date for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit Mexico to discuss human rights concerns; (4) give a higher priority in discussions with the Government to criminal justice reforms that protect human rights; and (5) urge the Government to implement the recommendations of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 1999
Refugee Protection Act of 1999 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act with respect to refugee provisions to limit summary inspection procedures to emergency migration situations in which numbers of arriving aliens substantially exceed inspection capacities. Grants the Attorney General sole authority to make such determination, which shall last 90 days unless extended after consultation with the appropriate congressional committees. Revises provisions respecting inspection of aliens seeking U.S. admission, including requiring: (1) an alien to be informed of certain rights prior to removal or withdrawal of his or her admission application, and (2) review of a removal order by an immigration judge, with the right of the alien to personally appear and be represented (at his or her expense). Exempts from expedited removal procedures aliens fleeing countries with poor human rights record, as determined by the Attorney General. Revises the procedure used to determine whether an applicant for asylum has a credible fear of persecution. Authorizes (currently requires) the Attorney General to detain asylum applicants pending claims resolution. Repeals a specified limitation on judicial review of alien admissions. Provides, with respect to asylum applicants, for an exception to the filing deadline or a permitted second filing after a rejection upon a showing of good cause.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 1999
Firefighter Investment and Response Enhancement (FIRE) Act - Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to authorize the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to: (1) make grants on a competitive basis for protecting the health and safety of the public and firefighting personnel against fire and fire-related hazards; and (2) provide assistance for specified fire prevention programs (requiring at least ten percent of grant funds to be used for such programs). Provides a program priority for organizations that focus on prevention of injuries to children from fire. Requires: (1) ten percent non-Federal matching funds; (2) each grantee to report to the Director on grant uses; and (3) grants to be made to a variety of recipients, including paid and volunteer firefighters and urban, suburban, and rural. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2000 through 2005.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 1999
Condemns: (1) the current Belarusian regime; and (2) the arrests of Anatoly Lebedko, Nikolay Statkevich, and Valery Shchukin. Declares that Congress is gravely concerned about the disappearances of Viktor Gonchar, Yuri Krasovsky, Yuri Zakharenka, Tamara Vinnikova, and other members of the opposition. Calls for: (1) immediate dialogue between President Lukashenka and the Consultative Council of Belarusian opposition and the restoration of a civilian, democratically elected government in Belarus; and (2) a duly constituted national legislature, the rule of law, and an independent judiciary. Urges President Lukashenka to: (1) respect the human rights of all Belarusian citizens, including those members of the opposition who are currently being illegally detained in violation of their constitutional rights; and (2) make good on his promise to hold free parliamentary elections in 2000. Expresses support for the appeal by the Consultative Council of Belarusian opposition parties to the Government of Russia, the State Duma, and the Federation Council for a cessation of support for Lukashenka's regime. Calls on: (1) the international community to support the opposition by continuing to meet with the legitimately elected parliament; and (2) the President of the United States to continue to fund travel to the United States by the Belarusian opposition figures, to provide funding for the nongovernmental organizations in Belarus, and to support information flows into Belarus.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 1999
Financial Information Privacy and Security Act - Directs the Federal financial regulatory authorities to jointly promulgate final rules to protect the privacy of confidential information relating to customers of financial institutions subject to the regulatory purview of the Federal banking agencies and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Permits an individual to bring a civil action, for punitive as well as compensatory or liquidated ($5,000) damages and attorneys fees, for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 1999
Vietnam Veterans Recognition Act of 1999 - Authorizes the American Battle Monuments Commission to place within the Vietnam Veterans Memorial a plaque to honor Vietnam veterans who died after service in the Vietnam War, but as a direct result of such service, and whose names are not otherwise eligible for placement on the Memorial wall.
![Official portrait of Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000563_200.jpg)