United States · United States Congress · 9 October 1997
Authorizes the President to present gold medals, on behalf of the Congress, to named individuals referred to collectively as the "Little Rock Nine," in recognition of the selfless heroism they exhibited and the pain they suffered in the cause of civil rights by integrating Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates of such medals in bronze. States that these medals are national medals.
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 · 3 October 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the low-income State housing credit ceiling amount; and (2) provide for a cost-of-living adjustment for such amount.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the post-1987 reduction in the State ceiling on private activity bonds. Provides, beginning in 1999, for cost-of-living adjustments in the State ceiling on such bonds.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 1997
Human Rights Information Act - Requires certain Federal agencies to identify and organize all human rights records regarding activities occurring in Guatemala and Honduras after 1944 for declassification and disclosure purposes, and to make them available to the public and other official entities, including Latin American or Caribbean countries. Instructs the President to report to the Congress regarding agency compliance. Prescribes guidelines under which the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel (the Panel) shall review agency determinations to postpone public disclosure of any human rights record. Authorizes postponement of such public disclosures on specified grounds. Directs the Information Security Policy Advisory Council to report to the Congress on declassification of human rights records relating to other Latin American and Caribbean countries and to make such report available to the public. Creates two additional positions in the Panel in order to implement this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 1997
Property Owners Access to Justice Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal judicial code to provide that whenever a district court has jurisdiction in civil rights cases it shall not abstain from exercising or relinquishing its jurisdiction to a State court in an action where no claim of a violation of a State law, right, or privilege is alleged. Authorizes the district court, in such cases that cannot be decided without resolution of a significant but unsettled question of State law, to certify such question to the highest appellate court of that State (and after the State appellate court resolves the question certified to it, the district court shall proceed with resolving the merits). Bars the district court from certifying a question of State law unless such question will significantly affect the merits of the injured party's Federal claim and is so unclear and obviously susceptible to a limiting construction as to render premature a decision on the merits of the constitutional or legal issue in the case. Requires that any claim or action brought to redress the deprivation of a property right or privilege secured by the Constitution be ripe for adjudication by the district courts upon a final decision rendered by any person acting under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of any State or territory of the United States, that causes actual and concrete injury to the party seeking redress. Provides that any claim brought under provisions regarding the United States as defendant and regarding the jurisdiction of the Court of Federal Claims, that is founded upon a property right or privilege secured by the Constitution but allegedly infringed or taken by the United States, shall be ripe for adjudication upon a final decision rendered by the United States that causes actual and concrete injury to the party seeking redress. Sets guidelines for what constitutes a "final decision" for purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 1997
Aviation Insurance Reauthorization Act of 1997 - Amends Federal law governing aviation insurance programs to require the Secretary of Transportation to determine the values of aircraft insurance and maximum insured amounts in accordance with reasonable business practices in the commercial aviation insurance industry. Provides that if an indemnity agreement made between the Secretary and a designated agency head is countersigned by the President (or the President's designee), it shall constitute a determination that continuation of the pertinent aircraft operations is necessary to implement U.S. foreign policy. Grants the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration borrowing authority as necessary to implement the aviation insurance program. Stipulates that such authority does not remove Department of Defense responsibilities to provide prompt indemnification for initial payments made by the Secretary for any loss covered by the Department of Defense-related non-premium aviation insurance. Authorizes appropriations to a revolving fund in the Treasury in order to pay principal and interest accruing from the Administrator's borrowing authority. Authorizes binding arbitration of claims for insurance policies issued by the Secretary. Extends the Secretary's authority to provide aviation insurance and reinsurance through FY 2002. Treats as a public aircraft any aircraft owned by the U.S. Government and operated by any person for purposes related to crew training, equipment development, or demonstration.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 1997
Foreign Air Carrier Family Support Act - Amends Federal transportation law to require foreign air carriers to transmit to the Secretary of Transportation and the Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) a plan for addressing the needs of families of passengers involved in aircraft accidents involving foreign air carriers and a significant loss of life. Requires such a plan to include: (1) publicizing a reliable, toll-free telephone number and staff to take calls from families of passengers involved in such an accident; (2) a process for notifying such families as soon as possible, and in person to the extent practicable, before providing any public notice of the passengers' names; (3) an assurance that each passenger's family will be consulted about the disposition of any remains and personal effects (including return to the family) within the foreign air carrier's control; (4) an assurance of retention by the foreign air carrier of unclaimed possessions for at least 18 months; and (5) an assurance of other specified services. Makes inclusion of such a plan in the application for a foreign air transportation permit, or exemption from the requirement of a permit, a condition for permit or exemption approval. Declares that a foreign air carrier shall not be liable for damages in any action brought in a Federal or State court arising out of the foreign air carrier's performance in preparing or providing a passenger list pursuant to such a plan, unless the liability was caused by any conduct of the carrier which was grossly negligent or which constituted intentional misconduct.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 1997
Calls for the United States to discontinue all financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority and urge its allies to do the same, unless and until the Palestinian Authority demonstrates a 100-percent maximum effort to curtail terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 1997
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to continue operation of the Food Animal Residue Avoidance Database program through contracts with appropriate colleges or universities. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 September 1997
Condemns the bombing in Jerusalem on September 4, 1997, and those responsible for encouraging or inciting such acts. Expresses: (1) condolences to the families of the victims; and (2) solidarity with the people of Israel. Reaffirms that the United States should fully cooperate with Israel in helping to stem the tide of terrorism which has threatened the Oslo peace process and the stability of the region. Affirms that the United States should provide no monetary or other assistance to the Palestinian Authority until it has fulfilled its obligations under the Oslo Accords.
United States · United States Congress · 2 September 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Alternative Fuels - General Title II: Alternative Fuels - Non-Federal Programs Title III: Availability and Use of Replacement Fuels, Alternative Fuels, and Alternative Fueled Vehicles Biodiesel Energy Development Act of 1997 - Title I: Alternative Fuels - General - Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to modify definitions relating to alternative fuels, dual-fueled vehicles, heavy duty motor vehicles, and marine vessels. Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act with respect to alternative fuel use by light duty Federal vehicles to provide that if such vehicles are not acquired from original equipment manufacturers, existing fleet vehicles may be converted to use alternative fuels at the time of a major vehicle overhaul or rebuild. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to require the Secretary of Energy (Secretary), if appropriate, to permit a Federal fleet to: (1) acquire one heavy duty alternative fueled vehicle in place of two light duty alternative fueled vehicles; and (2) take an additional credit for the purchase and documented use of alternative fuel used in a dual-fueled vehicle, comparable conventionally-fueled motor vehicle, or marine vessel. Title II: Alternative Fuels - Non-Federal Programs - Requires State and local alternative fuel incentives programs to include the goal of introducing substantial numbers of light and heavy duty alternative fuels vehicles and increasing the use of alternative fuels. Conditions State eligibility for Federal assistance upon inclusion in each State plan of an examination of the introduction of converted or acquired light and heavy duty alternative fueled vehicles in State-owned or operated motor vehicle fleets. (Sec. 201) Authorizes the Secretary to provide, upon State request, Federal financial assistance grants for the incremental purchase cost of alternative fuels. Directs the Secretary to report annually to the President and the Congress on the volume of alternative fuel consumed. (Sec. 202) Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to provide financial assistance to States and political subdivisions for the incremental cost of alternative fuels used in flexible fueled school buses and school bus conversions to alternative fueled vehicles. (Sec. 203) Requires the Secretary to study and report to Congress on alternative fuel use in marine vessels. Title III: Availability and Use of Replacement Fuels, Alternative Fuels, and Alternative Fueled Vehicles - Modifies the mandate for alternative fuel providers to include regulation of heavy duty trucks. (Sec. 301) Cites circumstances under which the Secretary may allow the conversion of an existing fleet vehicle into a dual-fueled alternative fueled vehicle at the time of a major vehicle overhaul or rebuild. (Sec. 302) Directs the Secretary to: (1) include heavy duty motor vehicles in the program to promote the development and use in light duty motor vehicles of domestic replacement fuels; and (2) review every five years a development plan and production goals for replacement fuel supply and demand. (Sec. 304) Modifies the fleet program purchase goals to require that specified percentages of new light duty motor vehicles acquired in each model year be acquired as, or converted into, alternative fueled vehicles. Modifies the fleet requirement program to direct the Secretary to permit fleets to substitute the acquisition or conversion of one heavy duty alternative fueled vehicle for two light duty vehicle acquisitions to meet program requirements. Permits a fleet owner to convert an existing fleet vehicle into an alternative fueled vehicle, and purchase the fuel for such vehicle for compliance purposes, if the original equipment manufacturer's warranty continues to apply to the vehicle. Allows a fleet owner a credit for such conversion. (Sec. 305) Instructs the Secretary to allocate a credit to a fleet or covered person that acquires a volume of alternative fuel equal to the estimated need for one year for any dual-fueled vehicle acquired or converted under this Act. Sets forth a credit allocation scheme for dual-fueled vehicles and alternative fuel. (Sec. 306) Requires the Secretary to submit to the Congress recommended requirements for exempting replacement fuels from taxes levied on non-replacement fuels if the Secretary notifies the Congress that a fleet requirement program is not necessary.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1997
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Reform Act - Amends the Covenant to Establish the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to treat the Northern Mariana Islands as a State under the Immigration and Nationality Act with respect to an individual's entry into the Commonwealth (but not entry from the Commonwealth into the United States). Applies Federal statutes and regulations governing admission of certain workers to Guam to individuals seeking entry into the Northern Mariana Islands for purposes of employment in the textile, hotel, tourist, or construction industries. Requires the Attorney General to coordinate and act in conjunction with State and local law enforcement agencies to ensure that deployment of personnel to enforce such statutes and regulations does not degrade or compromise the law enforcement capabilities and functions currently performed by immigration officers. Amends Federal law to prohibit affixation of the "Made in the USA" label to a textile fiber product from the Northern Mariana Islands unless it is made or assembled using direct labor meeting a specified percentage of qualified manhours by U.S. citizens or nationals or citizens of the Freely Associated States of the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Federated States of Micronesia. Applies to the Northern Mariana Islands the minimum wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as modified by this Act. Requires a minimum wage through December 31, 1997, of $3.05 per hour, adjusted annually thereafter in increments of $.30 or the amount necessary to increase the minimum wage rate to the rate required by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, whichever is less. Applies permanently to the Northern Mariana Islands the minimum wage rate required by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 once the incrementally increased rate equals such rate. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to study the extent of human and labor rights violations in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, including the use of forced or indentured labor, and any efforts taken by the Government of the United States or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to address or prohibit such violations. Requires inclusion of study results in the annual "Federal CNMI Initiative on Labor, Immigration, and Law Enforcement" report to Congress. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1997
Aircraft Repair Station Safety Act of 1997 - Terminates the effectiveness of certain November 22, 1988, amendments to the foreign repair station rules of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Declares that certain standards issued by the FAA for domestic repair stations shall apply in the same manner to foreign repair stations. Amends Federal aviation safety law to require the FAA Administrator to issue an order revoking an air agency certificate for a repair station if the Administrator finds that that any station owner or personnel knowingly used an uncertified or substandard airframe, engine, propeller, appliance, or any other part in the repair or overhaul of an aircraft.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 1997
Ozone and Particulate Matter Research Act of 1997 - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to: (1) request the National Academy of Sciences to convene an independent panel of scientists with expertise on the health effects of air pollution to establish priorities for research on the health effects of particulate matter; and (2) report the panel's recommendations to the Congress. Requires the President to establish the Particulate Matter Interagency Committee to develop recommendations for, and periodically evaluate, a program to coordinate the activities of Federal agencies engaged in research on health effects of particulate matter that ensures that such research advances the prioritized agenda of the panel. Directs the Administrator to: (1) review the air quality criteria and standards under the Clean Air Act for ozone and particulate matter; and (2) determine whether to retain or revise such standards and criteria or promulgate new ones. Authorizes the Administrator to require State implementation plans under such Act to require ambient air quality monitoring for fine particulate matter. Provides for grants to States to carry out such monitoring. Reinstates the national ambient air quality standards for ozone and particulate matter in effect on July 15, 1997. Bars revision of such standards until the Administrator's scientific review under this Act is completed. Directs the National Institutes of Health to begin a research program to study the health effects of allergens on asthmatics, particularly in inner city areas. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 1997
Extends congressional gratitude to Leslie Townes (Bob) Hope for his accomplishments and service on behalf of U.S. military service members. Confers upon Mr. Hope the status of an honorary veteran of the U.S. armed forces.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 1997
Authorizes the President to present a gold medal to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to religious understanding and peace. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike duplicate medals in bronze. Authorizes appropriations from the Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund, where sales proceeds shall be deposited.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 1997
Landmine Elimination Act of 1997 - Prohibits, beginning on January 1, 2000, funds appropriated or otherwise available to any Federal department or agency from being obligated or expended for new deployments of anti-personnel landmines. Requires the Secretary of Defense to report to the Congress on actions and proposals to substitute for new deployments of such landmines on the Korean Peninsula. Allows the President to delay application of the prohibition with respect to the Peninsula if, not later than January 1, 2000, and each year thereafter, the President certifies the Congress that new deployments of anti-personnel landmines on the Peninsula in the event of a Korean war or a period of emergency in Korea declared by the President would be indispensable to the defense of the Republic of Korea in such year.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 1997
Area Health Education Center Program Extension Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to replace provisions on area health education center programs with provisions mandating grants and contracts for the planning, development, and operation of area health education center programs that carry out specified functions, including recruiting and preparing individuals to provide health services in underserved rural and urban areas and populations. Allows financial assistance for entities that previously received funding, are operating such a program, and are no longer receiving assistance (model programs), requiring 50 percent matching non-Federal funding. Sets forth requirements for health education training centers, including that they address persistent and severe unmet health care needs. Makes 50 percent of the amounts appropriated under this Act available for the establishment or operation of health education training centers through projects in States along the border between the United States and Mexico and in the State of Florida. Authorizes appropriations. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) every State have an active area health education center program; and (2) the ratio of Federal funding for model programs should increase over time so that the national program will become entirely comprised of programs funded at least 50 percent by State and local partners.
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 · 11 June 1997
National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act of 1997 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to establish in the National Park Service (NPS) a program to be known as the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom under which the Secretary shall: (1) produce and disseminate educational materials about the Railroad; (2) provide technical assistance to other government agencies, private entities, or the Governments of Canada, Mexico, or any appropriate Caribbean country to ensure coordination of Federal and non-Federal elements of the Network; and (3) regulate use of an official symbol for the Network. Includes within the Network: (1) NPS units or programs pertaining to the Underground Railroad; (2) Federal, State, local, or privately-owned properties pertaining to the Railroad that have a verifiable connection to it and that are included or eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places; and (3) governmental or nongovernmental facilities or programs of educational, research, or interpretive natures that are directly related to such Railroad. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1997
National Motor Vehicle Safety, Anti-theft, Title Reform, and Consumer Protection Act of 1997 - Amends Federal transportation law to require States, in licensing a passenger motor vehicle whose ownership has been transferred, to disclose on the certificate of title whenever records indicate that such vehicle was previously issued a title that contained a term or symbol signifying that it was "salvage," "unrebuildable," "parts only," "scrap," "junk," "nonrepairable," "reconstructed," "rebuilt," or that it has been damaged by flood. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations requiring each State in licensing such vehicles to apply specified uniform standards, procedures, and methods for the issuance and control of motor vehicle titles and for information to be contained on such titles. Directs the Secretary to prescribe requirements (similar to those of the Automobile Information Disclosure Act) that a label containing certain information be affixed to the windshield or window of a rebuilt or remanufactured salvage vehicle before its first sale. Prohibits a person from willfully removing, altering, or rendering illegible such label before the vehicle is delivered to the ultimate purchaser. Makes it unlawful for any person knowingly and willfully to: (1) make false statements on an application for a motor vehicle title; (2) fail to apply for a salvage title when such application is required; (3) alter, forge, or counterfeit a certificate of title, a nonrepairable vehicle certificate, a certificate verifying an anti-theft inspection or an anti-theft and safety inspection, or a required decal affixed to a passenger motor vehicle; (4) falsify the results of an inspection; (5) offer to sell any salvage vehicle or nonrepairable vehicle as a rebuilt salvage vehicle; or (6) conspire to commit any of these acts. Sets forth civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1997
Long-Term Investment Incentive Act of 1997 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a sliding scale capital gains deduction on assets held between two years and eight years by noncorporate taxpayers.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1997
Declares three named individuals to have been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence under the Immigration and Nationality Act upon payment of the required visa fees.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1997
Expresses the sense of the Senate that it should be U.S. policy to support the admission of Taiwan to membership in the International Monetary Fund, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and all appropriate regional multilateral economic institutions.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1997
Missing Persons Authorities Improvement Act of 1997 - Restores Federal armed forces provisions relating to the status of missing persons as in effect before amendments made by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997.
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
Mammogram Availability Act of 1997 - Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to require a group health plan, and a health insurance issuer offering group coverage, that provides coverage for diagnostic mammographies for any woman 40 years old or older to provide coverage for annual screening mammographies for such a woman. Prohibits related enrollment and renewal discrimination, monetary incentives to women, and penalties or incentives to providers. Amends the Public Health Service Act to apply those requirements and prohibitions to coverage offered by an issuer in the individual market. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to allow payment for annual screening mammographies for women over 39 (currently, over 49 but under 65) years old. Removes provisions empowering the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise the screening frequency for which payment may be made. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require payment for annual screening mammographies for women over 39 years old.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Title II: Miscellaneous Provisions Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 - Title I: Amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to revise its provisions and extend through FY 2002 the authorization of appropriations for IDEA programs. Allows States to extend use of the developmental delay category of eligibility for children up to age nine (under a new part A of IDEA). Revises the program of assistance for education of all children with disabilities (under a new part B of IDEA). Revises the funding formula for allotments to States. Provides for increases in allotments over a transition period of FY 1998 through 2006. Bases the new formula on a State's: (1) child population; and (2) child poverty. Authorizes appropriations. Sets forth State eligibility requirements for placement of students. Requires States to use methods of distributing IDEA funds that ensure compliance with such requirements. Allows a public agency to reduce or deny reimbursement to parents of a child placed in a private school without the public agency's consent or referral if: (1) the parents (with specified exceptions) did not notify the agency of the intended placement, with a written statement of their concerns, at least ten days before the child's removal from public school; (2) the parents did not make the child available for a local educational agency (LEA) initial assessment and evaluation before the child's removal from public school and enrollment in private school; or (3) it is so ruled at the judge's discretion. Allows an LEA to reduce its level of special education expenditures under specified limited circumstances. Allows commingling of Federal and State special education funds under certain circumstances. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to modify certain LEA requirements for ten designated LEAs or groups of LEAs which endeavor to achieve innovative delivery of services. Revises provisions for evaluations, reevaluations, eligibilty determinations, individualized education programs (IEPs), and educational placements. Grants parents a right to refuse an initial evaluation of a referred child's need for special education services. Authorizes the LEA, in such a circumstance, to utilize certain mediation and due process procedures to resolve the dispute. Prohibits construing the parents' consent for a child's evaluation as consent for placement for receipt of special education and related services. Requires, in the cases of children whose behavior impedes their own or others' learning, the IEP Team to consider strategies, including behavioral management plans, to address that behavior. Includes the following categories of behavior, at school or a school function, among those for which school personnel may order removal of a child with a disability from the classroom, and placement in an alternative educational setting, for an additional 45 days over the regular ten-day limit for such a removal: (1) carrying any weapons (current law only covers firearms); (2) having, using, soliciting sale of, or selling medications or illegal drugs; and (3) causing serious physical or emotional injury as a result of physical or verbal assault. Authorizes a hearing officer to order such a change of placement for up to 45 days if there is substantial evidence that maintenance of the current placement is substantially likely to result in injury to the child or to others. Requires an IEP Team to review whether the child's inappropriate action was a manifestation of the disability, including review of the technical soundness of the behavior management plan. Allows change of placement, with the parents' agreement, if the behavior is a result of the disability. Provides for an immediate appeal to the hearing officer if the parents disagree with the determination or the changed educational placement. Allows application to children with disabilities of the same relevant disciplinary procedures applicable to children without disabilities, if the behavior is determined to be not a manifestation of the disability. Allows a due process hearing if the parents disagree with such application of discipline. Requires States and LEAs receiving IDEA assistance to offer parents voluntary mediation procedures for disputes over provision of free appropriate public education to children with disabilities. Requires all parties in a dispute to disclose, for review, to all other parties evaluations and recommendations intended for use at the hearing. Revises the program for infants and toddlers with disabilities (under a new part C of IDEA), repealing a requirement that all State policies and assurances pertaining to programs for infants and toddlers with disabilities be filed with every application to the Department of Education. Continues provisions for a Federal Interagency Coordinating Council. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1998 through 2002. Provides for national activities to improve education of children with disabilities (under a new part D of IDEA), replacing current provisions for training personnel for the education of individuals with disabilities, and consolidating as discretionary programs certain current programs. Sets forth part D provisions for such programs under the following categories (as subparts 1 and 2): (1) State Program Improvement Grants for Children with Disabilities; and (2) Coordinated Research, Personnel Preparation, Technical Assistance, Support, and Dissemination of Information. Includes under such subpart 2 provisions for Improving Early Intervention, Educational, and Transitional Services and Results for Children with Disabilities through Coordinated: 1) chapter 1 Research and Personnel Preparation; and (2) chapter 2 Technical Assistance, Support, and Dissemination of Information. Authorizes appropriations for such part D programs for FY 1998 through 2002. Authorizes State educational agencies to apply for improvement grants upon certification that a collaborative process with specified types of participants has been used in developing the State improvement plan for special education and early intervention systems. Directs the Secretary to develop and implement a comprehensive plan for activities involving coordinated research and personnel preparation, and technical assistance, support, and dissemination of information under IDEA. Requires such plan to include mechanisms to address educational, related services, transitional, and early intervention needs identified by State educational agencies in applications for State program improvement grants. Directs the Secretary to ensure that a specified portion of funds is used to: (1) provide outreach and technical assistance to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and to institutions of higher education with minority enrollments of at least 25 percent, to promote the participation of such colleges, universities, and institutions in such research, personnel preparation, support, technical assistance, and information dissemination activities under IDEA; and (2) enable such entities to assist other colleges, universities, institutions, and agencies in improving educational and transitional results for children with disabilities. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and contracts for: (1) coordinated research and innovation; (2) studies and evaluations; and (3) various activities of national significance relating to development of personnel to work with children with disabilities, including professional development for personnel who will provide educational and related services to children with low-incidence disabilities, and personnel who will provide early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities, as well as preparation of leadership personnel. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to and contracts with parent organizations to support parent training and information centers, including community parent resource centers, as well as provide technical assistance for such centers' programs. Directs the Secretary to make competitive grants and contracts for: (1) coordinated technical assistance and dissemination; and (2) technology development, demonstration, and utilization, and media services. Title II: Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide for coordination of schoolwide programs with those under IDEA. (Sec. 203) Repeals specified parts of IDEA superseded by this Act.
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
Establishes as a nonprofit corporation the National Military Museum Foundation to: (1) preserve military artifacts having historical or technological significance; (2) facilitate research on military history; (3) promote partnerships between the Federal Government and the private sector for the preservation of such artifacts; (4) engage in related military history documentation and preservation activities; and (5) recognize and honor the individuals who have served in the armed forces. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1997
Requires not less than $200 million of the funds available to the Department of Defense for drug interdiction and counterdrug activities each fiscal year to be available to fund National Guard participation in such activities.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1997
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) plan for the design and construction of an addition of a permanent statue, bas-relief, or other similar structure to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C., to provide recognition of the fact that President Roosevelt's leadership in the struggle by the United States for peace, well-being, and human dignity was provided while the President used a wheelchair; and (2) construct such addition using only private contributions. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1997
Customs Enforcement and Market Access Act of 1997 - Directs the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), whenever the United States negotiates a protocol for accession of a country to the World Trade Organization (WTO), to negotiate for inclusion in that protocol: (1) provisions for effective market access to that country's domestic markets for U.S. textile and apparel products; and (2) provisions allowing the suspension or revocation of paragraph 14 (relating to increasing import levels based on growth rates) of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, if the country has failed to enforce such market access provisions. Requires negotiation of bilateral agreements containing similar provisions with countries that are not WTO members. (Sec. 3) Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to direct the USTR to identify annually, report to the Congress, and publish in the Federal Register the names of priority foreign countries that deny fair and equitable market access to U.S. persons producing or selling textile or apparel products. (Sec. 4) Establishes in the Treasury a Textile Global Competitiveness Research Fund, consisting in part of fines levied under this Act, and whose amounts shall be available: (1) for programs aimed at enhancing the international competitiveness of U.S. textile and apparel manufacturers; and (2) to the Customs Service for the enforcement of laws governing trade in textile and apparel goods. (Sec. 5) Directs the USTR to take necessary steps to negotiate a quota agreement with any non-WTO country whose exports to the United States exceed $100 million annually, or are creating serious damage or the actual threat of it to the U.S. textile and apparel industry. States the sense of the Congress that any agreement negotiated with a non-WTO country which already has a textile agreement with the United States should permit imports of textile and apparel products of that country, during each 12-month period, to increase by not more than the percentage of growth in the U.S domestic market for all textile and apparel products in the preceding 12-month period. Specifies provisions for inclusion in the accession protocol of countries acceding to the WTO. (Sec. 6) Requires the USTR to ensure that any protocol under negotiation for accession to the WTO of a non-WTO country with a textile import bilateral agreement with the United States, as well as any subsequent agreement, provides for a reduction in the quantity of that country's textile and apparel goods that may be imported into the United States if the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements determines that the bilateral agreement is being circumvented and that inadequate or no measures are being taken by that country to take action against such circumvention. (Sec. 7) Prescribes specified Customs Service enforcement actions and penalties (including fines, seizure, and forfeiture) for violations of customs laws involving textile and apparel goods. (Sec. 10) Directs the Commissioner of Customs to establish a Division on Textile Enforcement. (Sec. 11) Requires withdrawal of preferential tariff or quota treatment (unilateral trade concessions) from the textile and apparel goods of any country: (1) demonstrating a consistent pattern of circumventing textile agreements with United States; (2) refusing to cooperate in investigations; or (3) failing to provide fair and equitable market access for U.S. textile and apparel goods.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1997
Reconstructive Breast Surgery Benefits Act of 1997 - Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to require group health plans and insurers offering group health coverage, if they cover a mastectomy, to also cover reconstructive breast surgery resulting from the mastectomy, including surgery on a nondiseased breast to establish symmetry and coverage of prostheses and complications of mastectomy. Prohibits related: (1) denial of coverage or monetary incentives to women; and (2) penalties or incentives to providers. Amends the Public Health Service Act to apply the above requirements to individual health insurance coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1997
Medicare Medical Nutrition Therapy Act of 1997 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage of medical nutrition therapy services of registered dieticians and nutrition professionals.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1997
Mammography Quality Standards Reauthorization Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations to carry out provisions relating to the certification of mammography facilities. Requires that appeals from certification denials follow procedures in effect at that time (currently, in effect on a specified date). Modifies mammogram record retention requirements. Allows inspection of facilities (currently, certified facilities) for compliance with certification requirements and mammography quality standards (currently, compliance with mammography quality standards). Allows inspections to be conducted by a local agency on behalf of the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Empowers the Secretary to require a facility to notify patients who received mammograms if the Secretary determines the quality was so inconsistent with standards as to present a significant risk to the individual or public health. Authorizes civil money penalties for failure to comply. Allows certificate suspension or revocation for a failure to comply with an accreditation body's requests for records or materials. Modifies requirements for certification suspension before holding a hearing.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1997
Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Research Act of 1997 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to mandate a program for the conduct and support of research and training regarding Parkinson's disease. Directs the Director of the National Institutes of Health to provide for coordination of the program among all the national research institutes conducting Parkinson's research. Requires coordination to include the convening of a research planning conference at least once every two years. Provides for each such conference to prepare and submit to certain congressional committees a report concerning the conference. Requires Core Center Grants to encourage the development of innovative multidisciplinary research and provide training concerning Parkinson's, designating each grant recipient as a Morris K. Udall Center for Research on Parkinson's Disease. Establishes a grant program to support investigators with a proven record of excellence and innovation in Parkinson's research and who demonstrate potential for significant breakthroughs in the understanding of the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of Parkinson's. Limits the availability of grants for a period not to exceed five years. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1997
Historic Homeownership Assistance Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for 20 percent of the qualified rehabilitation expenditures made by a taxpayer with respect to a certified historic home which has been substantially rehabilitated and which is owned by the taxpayer and used as his or her principal residence. Allows the credit for such expenditures to be taken by a purchaser of the rehabilitated home. Permits, in lieu of the credit, a historic rehabilitation mortgage credit certificate, which shall be transferred to a lender in exchange for a reduction in the rate of interest on the loan secured by the building.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1997
Firefighters Pay Fairness Act of 1997 - Amends Federal law to provide that, for Federal fire fighters, the annual rate of basic pay shall be calculated on the basis of 26 administrative biweekly work periods of up to 106 hours each. Prescribes a formula for computing the basic biweekly pay of Federal employees who are not fire fighters but perform fire fighting duties. Extends existing biweekly pay period and pay computation requirements to Federal fire fighters and employees in and under the judicial branch. Removes employees of the District of Columbia government from coverage by such requirements. Repeals the current exception from such requirements for employees on the Isthmus of Panama in the service of the Panama Canal Commission. Requires compensation at time-and-a-half per hour for any hours worked in excess of 106 during a biweekly pay period by fire fighters subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. Prescribes basic rates of pay for fire fighters: (1) promoted to a supervisory position; and (2) selected and assigned for training. Adds certain pay retention rights for Federal fire fighters subject to a reduction or termination of a rate of pay established under this Act. Authorizes a Federal agency to pay cash awards of up to five percent of basic pay to fire fighters or other employees performing fire fighting duties who make substantial use of: (1) special skills, such as handling hazardous materials; or (2) a certification or license, such as certification as an emergency medical technician. Requires the Office of Personnel Management to report to the Congress with respect to transition and funding increase plans and regulatory or legislative modifications necessary to prevent diminution in retirement benefits under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1997
Amends the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 to require the Secretary of the Interior, before acquiring land to establish a refuge of the National Wildlife Refuge System or preparing a final environmental assessment or environmental impact statement on the proposed acquisition under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, to: (1) hold a public hearing in the area in which such land is located; and (2) conduct a referendum among the owners of the land that will be acquired to determine whether they favor the proposed acquisition. Allows the Secretary to acquire land to establish a refuge only if a majority of landowners favor the proposed acquisition.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1997
Estate Tax Relief for the American Family Act of 1997 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for an annual incremental increase, from the current $192,800 credit to a credit of $1 million by the year 2002, in the credit against the estate transfer tax. (Sec. 3) Excludes from the value of the gross estate, in specified circumstances, the lesser of: (1) the adjusted value of the qualified family-owned business interests of the decedent otherwise includible in the estate; or (2) $1.5 million plus 50 percent of the excess (if any) of the adjusted value of such interests over $1.5 million, but not over $10 million. (Sec. 4) Amends estate tax provisions to prohibit treating a surviving spouse or lineal descendant as failing to use real property in a qualified use solely because the spouse or descendant rents the property to a family member on a net cash basis. (Sec. 5) Increases the limit on the aggregate decrease in the value of real property taken into account for purposes of estate tax provisions. (Sec. 6) Modifies requirements regarding correction of certain failures regarding elections and agreements. (Sec. 7) Extends from 10 to 20 years the amount of time permitted to an estate for making installment payments of the estate tax in an estate consisting largely of interest in a closely held business. Revises provisions concerning the payment of interest on such tax to make a certain portion interest-free. (Sec. 9) Modifies requirements regarding: (1) the valuation of gifts for estate tax purposes; and (2) generation-skipping transfer taxes for transfers to individuals with deceased parents.
![Official portrait of Sen. Ford, Wendell H. [D-KY]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/f000268_200.jpg)