United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1999
Agricultural Trade Fairness Act of 1999 - Amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to take specified measures to protect the interests of producers of U.S. agricultural commodities and ensure the international competitiveness of U.S. agriculture if the European Union (EU) does not: (1) by January 1, 2002, reduce agricultural export subsidies by at least 50 percent; or (2) by January 1, 2003, enter into an agricultural trade agreement under which it agrees to eliminate such subsidies.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1999
Education for Democracy Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to revise provisions for Civic Education, under part F of title X (Programs of National Significance). (Sec. 2) Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants to or contracts with: (1) the Center for Civic Education (CCE) to carry out civic education activities under the We the People... The Citizen and the Constitution program and The Project Citizen program, and under Cooperative Educational Exchange programs; and (2) the National Council on Economic Education (NCEE) to carry out economic education activities under Cooperative Educational Exchange programs. Revises requirements for CCE implementation of the We the People... The Citizen and the Constitution program and The Project Citizen program. Sets forth requirements for the Cooperative Educational Exchange programs of civic education by CCE and economic education by NCEE. Makes eligible for such programs Central European countries, an Eastern European country, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and the independent states of the former Soviet Union. Allows such program eligibility also for the Republic of Ireland, the province of Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom, and any developing country as defined under the Education for the Deaf Act. Authorizes appropriations through FY 2004 for: (1) the We the People... The Citizen and the Constitution program and The Project Citizen program; and (2) the Cooperative Educational Exchange programs. (Sec. 3) Repeals title VI (International Education Program) of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 1999
National Health Museum Site Selection Act - Directs the Administrator of General Services to convey specified property to the National Health Museum, Inc. (the Museum), to provide a site for the construction and operation of a new building to serve as the National Health Museum. Requires the Museum to provide written notification to the Administrator of the date on which it will accept conveyance of the property. Sets forth provisions regarding the purchase price for the property, including requiring the Administrator to report the purchase price to Congress and to deposit it into the Federal Buildings Fund. Provides for reversion of the property to the United States and repayment of the purchase price to the Museum if : (1) it is used for a purpose other than construction and operation of the Museum; (2) the Museum does not commence construction on the property within three years after conveyance, other than for a reason not within the Museum's control; or (3) the Museum ceases to be a nonprofit corporation. Permits the Museum to: (1) demolish or renovate any existing or future improvement on the property; (2) build, own, operate, and maintain new improvements on the property; (3) finance and mortgage the property on customary terms and conditions; and (4) manage the property. Requires the United States to cooperate with the Museum on any zoning or other matter relating to the development or improvement of the property or the demolition of any improvement. Requires the costs of remediation of any environmental hazards existing on the property, including all asbestos-containing materials, to be borne by the United States. Requires the Museum to submit annual reports to the Administrator and Congress on the status of planning, development, and construction of the Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 1999
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Act - Authorizes and directs the Secretary of the Interior to provide financial assistance to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, founded in 1995, to pay the Federal share (20 percent) of the costs of authorized Center activities. Authorizes the Secretary to assist in the construction of the Center facility and the development of programs and exhibits related to the history of the Underground Railroad on property owned by the city of Cincinnati and the State of Ohio. Authorizes appropriations. Requires annual reports from the Center to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 1999
Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to provide that if the United States initiates a retaliation list (list of products of a foreign country that has failed to comply with the report of the panel or Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization (WTO)), or the United States Trade Representative (USTR) takes specified trade action against the goods of a foreign country because of its failure to implement the recommendation made pursuant to a dispute settlement proceeding under the WTO, the USTR shall periodically revise the list or action to affect the other goods of the country. Declares that the USTR is not required to revise the retaliation list or the action with respect to a country, if: (1) the USTR determines that implementation of the recommendation by the country is imminent; or (2) the USTR together with the petitioner involved in the initial unfair trade investigation (or if no petition was filed, the affected U.S. industry) agree that it is unnecessary to revise the retaliation list.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 1999
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to convey specified parcels of land (including roads) necessary for development of the small hydroelectric power project sites located within Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington, to persons holding preliminary permits issued by, or having filed license applications with, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission covering such parcels during the period beginning on January 1, 1990, and ending on December 31, 1996. Requires a licensee to pay the net proceeds from the sale of timber removed for project development to the Secretary. Requires such proceeds to be deposited in the Treasury and to remain available to the Secretary for use in watershed and species management activities to ensure proper implementation of the Northwest Forest Plan in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 1999
Recognizes and honors the efforts of the Forum on Family Friendly Programming and other entities supporting family friendly programming. Expresses support for: (1) efforts of the television network and production community to produce more quality family friendly programming; and (2) the Family Friendly Programming Awards, development fund and scholarships. Encourages the media and American advertisers to further a family friendly television environment with appropriate advertisements accompanying the programming.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1999
Older Americans Act Amendments of 1999 - Title I: Amendment to Title I of the Older Americans Act of 1965 - Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to add certain definitions. Title II: Amendments to Title II of the Older Americans Act of 1965 - Revises the duties of the Administration on Aging. Provides for a set of performance outcome measures to be used for planning, managing, and evaluating activities performed and services provided under the Act. Reauthorizes appropriations for the Administration on Aging. Title III: Amendments to Title III of the Older Americans Act of 1965 - Authorizes appropriations indefinitely for making grants relating to: (1) supportive services, (2) senior centers; (3) congregate nutrition services, (4) home delivered nutrition services; (5) in-home services; and (6) special needs. Authorizes appropriations for a nutrition services incentive program. Authorizes a State to require or permit cost sharing by recipients for all direct services, with specified exceptions, provided for in the Act. Expands the list of supportive services for which grants to States are provided. Establishes grant programs for support services for family caregivers, education and training related to programs for older individuals, and pension counseling projects. Title IV: Amendments to Title IV of the Older Americans Act of 1965 - Repeals provisions regarding training, research, and discretionary projects Title V: Amendments to Title V of the Older Americans Act of 1965 - Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to establish projects to place community service employment program participants in unsubsidized employment in both the public and private sectors. Reauthorizes the community service employment for older Americans program. Title VI: Amendments to Title VI of the Older Americans Act of 1965 - Makes the authorization of appropriations for title VI of the Act indefinite, with exceptions. Establishes programs for grants to carry out vulnerable elder rights protection activities and for a Native American caregiver support program. Title VII: Amendments to Title VII of the Older Americans Act of 1965 - Revises provisions regarding the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program. Title VIII: Technical and Conforming Amendments - Makes technical and conforming amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1999
Medicare Beneficiary Access to Quality Nursing Home Care Act of 1999 - Modifies the case-mix categories for the formula for determination of the payment to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), under the prospective payment system (PPS), for routine service costs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to increase the adjusted Federal per diem rate otherwise determined for services provided to any individual during the period in which such individual is in a Nursing Home Case-Mix and Quality Demonstration resource utilization group (RUGS III) category of care, by the applicable payment add-on (updated for FY 2001 by the applicable SNF market basket percentage change), according to a specified table of such categories (especially for high-acuity and medically complex patients). Limits the application of this Act to services provided on or after October 1, 1999, and before the earlier of October 1, 2001, or the date on which the Secretary implements a case-mix methodology that takes into account adjustments for the provision of non-therapy ancillary services and supplies such as drugs and respiratory therapy. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise the formula for facility specific per diem rates with respect to the market basket update (inflation adjuster) to repeal the mandatory annualized one percent reduction in basket amount.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1999
Superfund Recycling Equity Act of 1999 - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to absolve persons (other than owners or operators) who arranged for the recycling of recyclable material from liability for environmental response actions. Deems transactions involving scrap paper, plastic, glass, textiles, or rubber (other than whole tires) to be arranging for recycling if the person who arranged the transaction demonstrates that the following criteria were met: (1) the recyclable material met a commercial specification grade and a market existed for the material; (2) a substantial portion of the material was made available for use as a feedstock for the manufacture of a new saleable product; (3) the material (or product to be made from the material) could have been a replacement for a virgin raw material; and (4) with respect to transactions occurring 90 days after this Act's enactment, the person exercised reasonable care to determine that the facility where the material would be managed by another was in compliance with Federal, State, or local environmental laws or regulations. Deems transactions involving scrap metal to be arranging for recycling if the person who arranged the transaction demonstrates that: (1) the criteria for scrap materials were met; (2) he or she complied with applicable standards regarding activities associated with the recycling of scrap metals; and (3) the scrap metal was not melted prior to the transaction. Deems transactions involving spent lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, or other batteries to be arranging for recycling if the person involved demonstrates that: (1) the criteria for scrap materials were met; and (2) he or she complied with applicable Federal environmental regulations or standards regarding such batteries. Makes the exemptions from liability under this Act inapplicable if the person: (1) had an objectively reasonable basis to believe at the time of the recycling transaction that the recyclable material would not be recycled or would be burned as fuel or for energy recovery or incineration or that the consuming facility was not in compliance with Federal, State, or local environmental laws or regulations; (2) had reason to believe that hazardous substances had been added to the material for purposes other than processing for recycling; or (3) failed to exercise reasonable care with respect to the management of the material. Makes such exemptions inapplicable if the recyclable material contained polychlorinated biphenyls in excess of 50 parts per million or any new Federal standard.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1999
Small Business Franchise Property Recovery Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish certain franchise operations as 15-year property under the accelerated cost recovery system.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1999
Condemns prejudice against individuals of Asian and Pacific Island ancestry in the United States. Supports their participation in U.S. political, public, and civic affairs. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) no Member of Congress or any other individual in the United States should stereotype or generalize the actions of an individual to an entire group of people; (2) individuals of Asian and Pacific Island ancestry in the United States are entitled to all rights and privileges afforded to all individuals in the United States; and (3) the Attorney General, the Secretary of Energy, and the Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission should, within their respective jurisdictions, investigate all allegations of discrimination in public or private workplaces and vigorously enforce the security of U.S. national laboratories, without discriminating against such individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1999
Cardiac Arrest Survival Act of 1999 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) assist in providing for an improvement in the survival rates of individuals who experience cardiac arrest in Federal buildings by publishing in the Federal Register for public comment recommendations with respect to placing automatic external defibrillators in such buildings; and (2) assist Federal agencies in implementing programs for such placement. Requires the Secretary to determine criteria for: (1) the selection of the Federal public buildings in which defibrillators should be placed; (2) defibrillator maintenance; and (3) the coordination of the use of the defibrillators in public buildings with emergency medical services providers for the geographic areas in which the buildings are located. Provides that any person who provides emergency medical care through the use of a defibrillator, any person who maintained, tested, or provided training in the use of the device, any physician who provided medical oversight of the device, and the person who acquired the device (if specified conditions have been met) is immune from civil liability for any personal injury or wrongful death resulting from the provision of such care, unless the person engaged in gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct under the applicable circumstances.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1999
Take Pride in America Volunteer Recognition Act - Establishes in the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture the Take Pride in America Program to: (1) establish and maintain a public awareness campaign in cooperation with public and private organizations and individuals to instill in the public the importance of the appropriate use of, and appreciation for, Federal, State, and local land, facilities, and natural and cultural resources, to encourage an attitude of stewardship and responsibility toward such land, facilities, and resources, and to promote participation by individuals, organizations, and communities in developing a conservation ethic to care for such land, facilities, and resources; and (2) conduct a national award program to honor individuals and entities that have distinguished themselves in these activities. Directs the Secretaries of such Departments to establish a program for recognizing volunteers under the Program by awarding a Program pass that may be redeemed for free access to Federal recreational land and facilities to each volunteer who completes the required number of hours of volunteer service. Provides for the number of hours of service required for receipt of a Program pass to be determined by the Secretaries, but to be not less than 50 hours, of which not less than 20 hours shall be devoted to any one individual project. Authorizes the Secretaries to recruit, train, and accept the services of individuals or entities, without compensation, as volunteers, without regard to the Civil Service provisions relating to appointments in the competitive service or classification or general schedule pay rates. Specifies the Federal employee status of volunteers.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1999
Teacher Empowerment Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to revise and rename title II as Teacher Quality (replacing the current title II Dwight D. Eisenhower Professional Development Program). (Sec. 2) Sets forth a new title II part A Teacher Empowerment program of grants to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Directs the Secretary of Education to make such grants to States, according to certain hold-harmless provisions and allotment formulas. Requires States to distribute such grant funds as follows: (1) 90 percent for subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) according to specified formulas, with 20 percent of that LEA subgrant total amount reserved for competitive subgrants and at least three percent of the competitive subgrant total amount going to eligible partnerships; and (2) ten percent for authorized State activities. Sets forth requirements for coordination, public accountability, and applications, including provisions to ensure program development participation of teachers and parents. Includes among authorized State activities: (1) reform of teacher certification, recertification, or licensure requirements; (2) support, such as mentoring, during the initial teaching experience; (3) alternative routes to State certification of teachers, especially in mathematics and science, for highly qualified individuals; (4) mechanisms to assist LEAs and schools in teacher and principal recruitment and retention; (5) reform of tenure systems and use of teacher testing to remove incompetent and ineffective teachers from classrooms; (6) measurement of performance of professional development programs and strategies; (7) technical assistance to LEAs; (8) promotion of reciprocity of teacher certification or licensure between or among States, without weakening any State requirements; (9) development of cost-effective and easily accessible professional development delivery strategies, including use of technology and distance learning; and (10) assistance to LEAs and eligible partnerships in developing professional development programs to train teachers in the use of technology to improve teaching and learning. Requires eligible partnerships to use such subgrants for: (1) professional development activities in core academic subjects to ensure that teachers have content knowledge in the subjects they teach; and (2) assistance to LEAs and their teachers, principals, and administrators for professional development activities. Requires LEAs to use portions of such subgrants for: (1) professional development activities in mathematics and science, in an amount at least equal to that under the current Eisenhower Program (unless given a State waiver); and (2) professional development activities that give teachers, principals, and administrators the knowledge and skills to provide students with the opportunity to meet challenging State or local content standards and student performance standards. Authorizes LEAs to use such subgrants for highly qualified teacher recruitment programs, including: (1) recruiting, hiring, and training certified teachers, including teachers certified through State and local alternative routes, in order to reduce class size (unless given a State waiver), or for hiring special education teachers; (2) signing bonuses or other financial incentives for teaching in academic subject areas where there is a shortage; (3) recruiting and providing alternative routes to teacher certification for professionals from other fields; (4) providing increased opportunities for minorities, individuals with disabilities, and other individuals underrepresented in teaching; (5) hiring policies that identify teachers certified through alternative routes and intensively screen for the most qualified applicants; (6) highly qualified teacher retention programs (including master mentoring of newly hired teachers and principals); (7) teacher quality improvement and professional development programs, including technology training through partnerships with institutions of higher education, delivery of professional development activities through technology and distance learning, instruction in how to teach children with different learning styles, particularly those with disabilities or special learning needs (including gifted and talented), and instruction in classroom discipline and identifying early and appropriate interventions; (8) programs related to tenure reform, merit pay, and testing of teachers in the subject areas they teach; and (9) teacher opportunity payments. Prohibits the provision of professional development funds from LEA subgrants for a teacher and an activity if the activity is not: (1) directly related to the curriculum and content areas in which the teacher provides instruction; or (2) designed to enhance the teaching of such areas. Permits the use of such funds for instruction in methods of disciplining children. Sets forth various requirements for such professional development activities, including appropriate provision of teacher training in the use of technology to improve teaching and learning in the curriculum and academic content areas they teach. Authorizes LEAs to use subgrants for teacher opportunity payments to certain teachers or groups of teachers for professional development activities of their own choosing. Requires certain LEAs, if they fail to meet State teaching standards, to make such teacher opportunity payments. Requires providing notice to teachers regarding the availability of such funds. Sets forth a process for selecting teachers in the event of inadequate funds. Requires LEAs receiving subgrants to: (1) collaborate with teachers, principals, administrators, and parents in preparing subgrant applications; and (2) provide parents information regarding the professional qualifications of students' classroom teachers. Sets forth certain national activities under part A of title II of ESEA. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive grants to eligible consortia for Teacher Excellence Academies, in elementary or secondary school facilities, to carry out specified activities promoting alternative routes to State teacher certification or specified model professional development activities. Authorizes continuation of the Troops-to-Teachers Program under specified conditions. Authorizes the Secretary to make a grant or contract to continue the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education. Authorizes appropriations through FY 2004 for part A (Teacher Empowerment) of title II (Teacher Quality) of ESEA. (Sec. 3) Extends through FY 2004 the authorization of appropriations for the Reading Excellence Act (REA) program. Redesignates REA as part B of title II of ESEA. Provides that such part B may be cited as the Reading Excellence Act. (Sec. 4) Prohibits the Secretary from: (1) using Federal funds to plan, develop, implement, or administer any national teacher test or certification or licensing; or (2) withholding funds from any State or LEA that fails to adopt a specific method of teacher certification or licensing. Provides that: (1) nothing in ESEA title II shall be construed to permit, allow, encourage, or authorize any Federal control over any aspect of any private, religious, or home school, whether or not a home school is treated as a private school or home school under State law; and (2) private, religious, or home schools are not barred, by the previous provision, from participation in programs or services under ESEA title II.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1999
United States Capitol Visitor Center Commemorative Coin Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue ten-dollar bimetallic coins, one-dollar silver coins, half-dollar clad coins, and if the Secretary determines that the minting and issuance of bimetallic coins is not feasible, five-dollar gold coins emblematic of the first meeting of the United States Congress in the U.S. Capitol Building. Mandates that all surcharges received from the coin sales be deposited in the Capitol Preservation Fund and made available to the U.S. Capitol Preservation Commission to aid in the construction, maintenance, and preservation of a Capitol Visitor Center.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 1999
Medicare Return To Home Act of 1999 - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit a Medicare+Choice organization from denying coverage for services provided by a skilled nursing facility (SNF) in which the enrollee resided immediately before admission to a hospital, or located within the continuing care retirement community in which the enrollee resided immediately before admission to a hospital.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 1999
Regulatory Openness and Fairness Act of 1999 - Title I: Issuance and Continuation of Tolerances - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) to apply the requirements of this paragraph to any proposed or final rule, order, notice, report, guidance document, or risk assessment (document) based on any review or reassessment by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of a tolerance or of the uses of a pesticide chemical for which a tolerance is in effect (except when the Administrator finds or recommends that no adverse action regarding a tolerance is required) issued after 1998 and before the completion of the review of tolerances mandated by current law. Requires the Administrator to conduct a transition analysis before any such document is issued and to include with the document a report (with specified contents) on the analysis. Defines "tolerance," for this paragraph and the next paragraph, to mean a tolerance for a pesticide chemical residue, or an exemption from the requirement of such a tolerance, established under specified FDCA provisions. (Sec. 102) Applies this paragraph to any review or reassessment by the Administrator of a tolerance (initiated by the Administrator or by petition) or of any registration of a pesticide chemical under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) associated with that tolerance review issued after 1998 and before the completion of the review of tolerances mandated by current law. Prohibits the Administrator, notwithstanding any other provision of law, from basing an adverse action regarding a tolerance or registration on any information, calculation, or assumption described under specified provisions of this Act. (Sec. 103) Directs the Administrator, in implementing provisions regarding pesticide chemical residue tolerances (as amended by this Act), to issue rules and guidance, including guidance regarding aggregate pesticide chemical exposure and cumulative effects of exposure to two or more chemicals having a common toxicity mechanism. (Sec. 104) Directs the Administrator to issue guidelines specifying the kinds of information that will be required to support the issuance or continuation of a tolerance or a tolerance exemption. Requires the guidelines to specify the conditions under which data requirements will apply to particular types of pesticide chemical residues. Amends the FDCA and FIFRA to mandate notice and an opportunity to comment. (Sec. 105) Amends FIFRA to require the Administrator to expedite the review of a pesticide registration or amended registration, an experimental use permit, or an emergency exemption in specified circumstances. Amends the FDCA to require the Administrator to give priority to petitions to establish or modify a tolerance or exemption that is needed in connection with an application under specified FIFRA provisions for approval of an effective and economic alternative. Authorizes establishment of a tolerance associated with an emergency exemption without regard to other tolerances and before reviewing those other tolerances if the Administrator finds that any incremental exposure that may result will not pose any significant risk to food consumers. Title II: Studies and Reports - Defines "tolerance," for this title, to mean a tolerance for a pesticide chemical residue, or an exemption from the requirement of such a tolerance, established under specified FDCA provisions. (Sec. 202) Directs the Administrator to prepare a proposal for revising the priorities of and resources available to the Administrator that will allow the Administrator to: (1) process promptly all FIFRA pesticide registration applications, FDCA tolerance petitions, experimental use permits requests, new inert ingredient approval requests, emergency exemption requests, and requests for decisions on the merits of those applications, petitions, and requests; and (2) perform tolerance reviews and other duties regarding pesticide chemicals under the FDCA and FIFRA. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to prepare a proposal for revising the priorities of and resources available to the Secretary that will allow the Secretary to: (1) obtain and provide to the Administrator adequate and timely information on food consumption, pesticide residues in or on food and drinking water, and pesticide use; (2) review actions proposed by the Administrator under the FDCA and FIFRA; and (3) perform other duties regarding pesticide regulation. Directs the Administrator and the Secretary to report to Congress on those proposals. (Sec. 203) Directs the Secretary to establish and administer a program to continuously assess the strength of major U.S. agricultural commodities and products in the international marketplace, including regarding the sustainability and competitive strength of each commodity and product in that marketplace and the relationship of those factors to regulatory actions under the FDCA and FIFRA. Mandates periodic reports to specified congressional committees. (Sec. 204) Establishes the Pesticide Advisory Committee to: (1) provide advice to the Administrator and the Secretary regarding implementation of specified FDCA and FIFRA provisions; (2) foster communication between the Administrator, the Secretary, and interested organizations; and (3) carry out the functions performed by the Tolerance Reassessment Advisory Committee. Makes inapplicable to the Pesticide Advisory Committee provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act mandating the termination of any advisory committee two years after the committee is established.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1999
National Law Enforcement Museum Act - Authorizes the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund to construct a National Law Enforcement Museum in the District of Columbia. Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from permitting construction of the Museum unless sufficient amounts are available to complete construction. Provides that the United States shall pay no expense incurred in the establishment or construction of the Museum. Terminates construction authority seven years after this Act's enactment date unless construction begins before such date.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 1999
Calls upon the Senate, when it adjourns on July 19, 1999, to do so as a further mark of respect for the grieving families of John F. Kennedy, Jr., Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and Lauren Bessette.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 1999
Folic Acid Promotion and Birth Defects Prevention Act of 1999 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to carry out a program, directly or through grants or contracts, for professional and public education and training, research, and epidemiological activities regarding folic acid and birth defects. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1999
Natural Disaster Protection and Insurance Act of 1999 - Amends the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 (the Act) to provide for an expanded Federal program of hazard mitigation, relief, and natural disaster insurance. (Sec. 6) Requires each State to either: (1) develop a statewide strategic mitigation plan (plan) to reduce hazards of future natural disasters; or (2) designate a plan in effect at the time as the applicable plan. Outlines required plan elements, including: (1) ensuring that structures in hazard-prone areas are built with hazard mitigation techniques; and (2) improving the capabilities of emergency response teams to natural disasters. Requires the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to review and approve a plan if it contains the required elements. Requires such plans to be submitted to the Director within two years after enactment of this Act. Outlines procedures regarding plan implementation, plan updates, and noncompliance with plan requirements (including an opportunity to cure). Denies hazard mitigation funds for any State which is still non-compliant 180 days after receiving from the Director notification of noncompliance. Authorizes the Director to allocate funds to States from the Natural Disaster Protection Fund, according to a pro rata formula based on reinsurance coverage premiums. Requires States to use allocated funds to support specified natural disaster hazard mitigation activities. Requires the Director, at least once every three years, to evaluate each State's progress in implementing its plan, and to base future allotments on such evaluation. Directs the Comptroller General to: (1) conduct a study to identify all Federal programs that provide assistance for public facilities and lifelines; and (2) report to Congress on study results. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 7) Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to grant loans to a private, non-governmental, and nonprofit membership corporation to be known as the Natural Disaster Insurance Corporation. Requires the Corporation to provide reinsurance coverage for hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, windstorms, and wildfires. Requires Corporation members to own shares in the Corporation and to consist of private insurers and State insurance pools that purchase the reinsurance coverage provided by the Corporation. Outlines Corporation administrative procedures, including: (1) the naming of a Corporation administrator; (2) loans for start-up costs; and (3) the election of a Board of Directors. Requires the Corporation to develop a plan of operation describing Corporation administration and the provision of insurance coverages. Directs the Natural Disaster Insurance Board of Actuaries to review and approve such plan and any amendments thereto. Requires the Board of Directors to report annually to Corporation members and the Independent Board of Actuaries on Corporation operations. Directs the Corporation to carry out a program to make reinsurance coverage available through contracts for such coverage for purchase only: (1) by eligible State programs; and (2) through auctions. Requires each contract to provide insurance coverage against residential property losses to homes and the contents of apartment buildings and to cover all the natural disasters named above. Makes a program eligible to purchase an insurance or reinsurance contract under this section only if such program is a State-operated program that meets specified requirements, including: (1) the offering of residential property and apartment content coverage; and (2) mitigation provisions that require not less than ten percent of the net investment income of the State insurance or reinsurance program to be used to mitigate losses from natural disasters for which the State program was established. Outlines coverage requirements and contract terms and conditions. Directs the Corporation to carry out a program to auction on a regional basis contracts for reinsurance coverage to private insurers and reinsurers, State insurance and reinsurance programs, and other interested entities. Requires the Corporation, in such auction, to set a reserve price as the lowest price for that contract, to be determined based upon specified factors such as risk and administrative costs. Provides auction contract terms and conditions. Requires the Corporation, in making reinsurance coverage available, to provide a conditional minimum level of retained losses (similar to a deductible) and a maximum level of Federal liability for losses from a single covered event. Establishes the Independent Natural Disaster Board of Actuaries to review and approve the Corporation plan of operation and to advise the Corporation regarding the estimated loss costs associated with the contracts for reinsurance coverage and carrying out Corporation functions. Requires the Corporation, within 15 months after enactment of this Act, to submit to the Independent Board a draft plan of operation. Provides for plan approval (with an opportunity to cure if disapproved) and plan amendments. Requires the Independent Board to prepare and submit to the Secretary a report on its findings regarding such plan. Requires the Corporation Board of Directors to submit to the Independent Board for approval proposed prices and reserve prices for reinsurance contracts issued by the Corporation. Provides for Independent Board approval of such prices (with an opportunity to cure if not immediately approved). Directs the Corporation to establish and maintain a Reinsurance Coverage Trust Account to: (1) hold funds collected from insurance payments and investments; and (2) pay claims to entities that have purchased reinsurance coverage. Directs the Secretary to provide direct loans to such Account to the extent that accumulated assets are insufficient to pay reinsurance claims and expenses. Requires recoupment from the Corporation of such direct loans and interest. Prohibits any Federal funds from being authorized or appropriated to fund any Corporation activity. Directs the Comptroller General, every three years, to conduct audits of activities of the Corporation and the Independent Board. Requires audit results to be submitted to Congress. (Sec. 8) Establishes in the Treasury the Natural Disaster Protection Fund and establishes in such Fund a Private Loss Account and a Mitigation Account. Requires the Private Loss Account to be used to provide direct Federal loans to cover shortfalls in the Corporation's reinsurance account. Requires the Mitigation Account to support natural disaster hazard mitigation activities. Authorizes appropriations to the Mitigation Account for FY 2000 and annually thereafter for prenatural disaster mitigation activities conducted under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 1999
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise and extend the placed-in-service rules applicable to the credit for electricity produced from renewable sources. Provides, under the new rules, that: (1) a qualified wind facility is one originally placed in service after December 31, 1993, and before July 1, 2004; and (2) a qualified biomass facility (currently, limited to qualified closed-loop biomass facilities), with respect to any month, is one originally placed in service before July 1, 2004, if for such month biomass comprises not less than 75 percent (on a Btu basis) of the average monthly fuel input of the facility for the taxable year which includes such month, or in the case of a facility principally using coal to produce electricity, biomass comprises not more than 25 percent (on a Btu basis) of the average monthly fuel input of the facility for the taxable year which includes such month. Sets forth additional special rules for biomass facilities. Prohibits, subject to exception, the credit from applying to electricity produced at a qualified facility placed in service after June 30, 1999, and sold to a utility pursuant to a contract originally entered into before January 1, 1987.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1999
Foster Care independence Act of 1999 - Title I: Improved Independent Living Program - Subtitle A: Improved Independent Living Program - Amends title IV (Grants for Dependent Children) Part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to prescribe State plan contents pursuant to which a State may apply for funds from its allotment to establish an independent living program providing education, training, employment services and financial support for young adults leaving foster care. (Sec. 101) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop performance measures and a data collection system. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle B: Related Foster Care Provision - Increases the amount of assets allowable for children in foster care. Subtitle C: Medicaid Amendments - Grants States the option of providing Medicaid coverage for adolescents leaving foster care (independent foster care adolescents). Subtitle D: Welfare-To-Work Amendments - Makes children aging out of foster care eligible for welfare-to-work programs. Title II: SSI Fraud Prevention - Subtitle A: Fraud Prevention and Related Provisions - Amends SSA title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) to subject representative payees to liability for overpayments made after a recipient's demise. Instructs the Commissioner of Social Security (the Commissioner) to establish an overpayment control record under the representative payee's Social Security account number. (Sec. 202) Provides for recovery of overpayments of SSI benefits from lump sum SSI benefit payments. (Sec. 203) Authorizes the Commissioner to employ certain statutory debt collection practices to collect delinquent accounts. (Sec. 205) Sets forth additional rules relating to collection of overpayments from individuals convicted of crimes, including: (1) a ten-year period of ineligibility for persons failing to notify the Commissioner of overpayments in months in which the beneficiary is a prisoner or a fugitive, or fails to comply with a repayment schedule for such overpayments; and (2) continued collection efforts against prisoners. (Sec. 206) Sets forth a statutory mechanism for the treatment of assets held in trust in order to determine the resources of an individual in connection with SSI eligibility. Deems the corpus of a revocable trust established by an individual as a resource available to such individual. (Sec. 207) Revises guidelines governing criteria to deny SSI eligibility in connection with disposal of resources for less than fair market value. (Sec. 208) Prescribes administrative procedures for: (1) imposing penalties for false or misleading statements; and (2) excluding representatives and health care providers convicted of violations from participation in Social Security programs. (Sec. 211) Directs the Commissioner to: (1) study and report to certain congressional committees on possible measures to improve fraud prevention and administrative processing; (2) include in the annual budget an itemization of the amount of funds required to support efforts to combat fraud committed by applicants and beneficiaries; and (3) conduct periodic computer matches with Medicare and Medicaid institutionalization data. (Sec. 214) Authorizes the Commissioner to require applicants or beneficiaries to authorize access to information held by their financial institutions in order to ascertain benefits eligibility. Subtitle B: Benefits for Certain Veterans of World War II - Adds a new SSA title VIII (Special Benefits for Certain World War II Veterans) to provide monthly benefits for each month to certain qualified World War II veterans who reside outside the United States, including veterans of the organized military and guerrilla forces of the Government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. Makes appropriations for such benefits. Title III: Child Support - Amends SSA title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) to repeal: (1) authority for the 90 percent Federal matching grant to the States for laboratory costs for paternity establishment; and (2) the hold harmless provision for State share of distribution of collected child support. Title IV: Technical Corrections - Sets for technical corrections relating to amendments to the Social Security Act made by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1999
Father Theodore M. Hesburgh Congressional Gold Medal Act - Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of the Congress, a gold medal to Father Theodore M. Hesburgh in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to civil rights, higher education, the Catholic Church, the Nation, and the global community. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1999
Reforestation Tax Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction to a taxpayer who has a qualified timber gain in an amount equal to the qualified percentage of such gain. Decreases the amortization period for reforestation expenditures.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Department of the Interior Title II: Related Agencies Title III: General Provisions Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000 - Makes appropriations for the Department of the Interior and related agencies for FY 2000. Title I: Department of the Interior - Makes appropriations for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for: (1) land and resource management; (2) wildland fire management; (3) remedial action of hazardous waste substances; (4) construction; (5) payments in lieu of taxes to local governments; (6) land acquisition; (7) Oregon and California grant lands; (8) range improvements; (9) service charges, deposits, and forfeitures with respect to public lands; and (10) miscellaneous trust funds. Appropriates funds for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for: (1) resource management; (2) construction; (3) land acquisition; (4) expenses related to carrying out the Endangered Species Act of 1973; (5) the National Wildlife Refuge Fund; (6) expenses related to carrying out the African Elephant Conservation Act, the Asian Elephant Conservation Act of 1997, and the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994; (7) expenses related to carrying out the North American Wetlands Conservation Act; and (8) the Wildlife Conservation and Appreciation Fund. Makes appropriations for the National Park Service (NPS) for: (1) the National Park System; (2) national recreation and preservation activities; (3) expenses related to carrying out the Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996; (4) construction; and (5) land acquisition and State assistance from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Rescinds specified contract authority to obligate funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for FY 2000. Makes appropriations for: (1) the U.S. Geological Survey for surveys, investigations, and research; (2) the Minerals Management Service for royalty and offshore minerals management and oil spill research; (3) the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement for regulation and technology and the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund; (4) the Bureau of Indian Affairs for operation of Indian programs, construction, miscellaneous payments to Indians, and Indian guaranteed loans; (5) assistance to U.S. territories and for carrying out the Compacts of Free Association with respect to Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau; (6) departmental management and the Offices of the Solicitor and the Inspector General; (7) trust programs for Indians; (8) a pilot program for consolidation of fractional interests in Indian lands by direct expenditure or cooperative agreement; and (9) natural resource damage assessment. Sets forth authorized and prohibited uses of specified funds. (Sec. 107) Prohibits the use of funds provided in this title for specified offshore leasing and related activities. (Sec. 114) Bars the NPS from developing a reduced entrance fee program to accommodate non-local travel through a unit. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to provide for and regulate local non-recreational passage through National Park System units, allowing each unit to develop guidelines and permits for activity appropriate to such unit. (Sec. 117) Authorizes the renewal of grazing permits and leases which expire or are transferred in any fiscal year until the Secretary completes renewal processing. (Sec. 120) Exempts all properties administered by the NPS at Fort Baker, Golden Gate National Recreation Area and other agreements associated with such properties, from all taxes and special assessments, except sales tax by the State of California and its political subdivisions. (Sec. 122) Prohibits the use of funds provided in any Act for the pre-design, design, or engineering for the removal of the Elwha or Glines Canyon Dams or for the actual removal of such dams until they are acquired by the Federal Government. Battle of Midway National Memorial Study Act - Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the NPS, to study and report to specified congressional committees on the suitability and feasibility of establishing Midway Atoll as a national memorial to the Battle of Midway. (Sec. 124) Authorizes persons utilizing Federal lands within the boundary of Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area (as designated by the Secretary on April 5, 1990) as of March 31, 1997, for grazing purposes pursuant to NPS permits to renew such permits for the lesser of 20 years or the lifetime of the permittee. (Sec. 125) Allows the Secretary to redistribute any Tribal Priority Allocation funds to alleviate tribal funding inequities by transferring funds on the basis of identified, unmet needs. Bars any tribe from receiving a reduction in such funds of more than ten percent in FY 2000. (Sec. 126) Makes funds provided in this Act unavailable for transferring land into trust status for the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe in Clark County, Washington, until the tribe and county reach a legally enforceable agreement that addresses the financial impact of new development on the county, school and fire districts, and other local governments and the impact on zoning and development. Incorporates provisions similar to those contained in the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998 (Public Law 105-83) concerning: (1) employees of BLM's Helium Operations; and (2) Huron Cemetery in Kansas City, Kansas. Title II: Related Agencies - Makes appropriations for the Department of Agriculture for the Forest Service for: (1) forest and rangeland research; (2) State and private forestry; (3) the National Forest System; (4) wildland fire management; (5) construction and reconstruction; (6) land acquisition; (7) range rehabilitation and improvement; and (8) forest and rangeland research. Defers a certain amount of funds made available for obligation in prior years for Department of Energy (DOE) clean coal technology projects until FY 2001. Makes appropriations for DOE for: (1) fossil energy research and development activities; (2) naval petroleum and oil shale reserve activities; (3) energy conservation; (4) economic regulation activities of the Office of Hearings and Appeals; (5) the Strategic Petroleum Reserve; and (6) the Energy Information Administration. Makes appropriations for the Department of Health and Human Services for the Indian Health Service and Indian health facilities. Makes appropriations for: (1) the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation; (2) the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development; (3) the Smithsonian Institution, including amounts for repair and restoration of buildings owned or occupied by the Smithsonian; (4) construction and improvements at the National Zoological Park; (5) construction; (6) the National Gallery of Art, including an amount for repair and restoration of facilities owned or occupied by the National Gallery; (7) operations, maintenance, and construction expenses of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; (8) carrying out the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Act of 1968; (9) the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA); (10) the National Endowment for the Humanities; (11) the Institute of Museum and Library Services; (12) the Commission of Fine Arts; (13) national capital arts and cultural affairs; (14) the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; (15) the National Capital Planning Commission; (16) the Holocaust Memorial Council; and (17) the Presidio trust. Sets forth provisions regarding uses of, and limitations on, funds under this title. Title III: General Provisions - Sets forth limitations on the use of funds under this Act, including Buy American requirements. Incorporates provisions similar to those contained in the Department of Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998 (Public Law 105-83) concerning: (1) the sale of timber from giant sequoias; (2) the underground lunchroom at Carlsbad Caverns National Park; (3) funding for the Americorps program; (4) the bridge between Jersey City, New Jersey, and Ellis Island; (5) patents for mining or mill site claims; (6) competition for watershed restoration project contracts in the Pacific Northwest; (7) designation of Biosphere Reserves; and (8) restrictions on NEA grants. (Sec. 317) Bars the use of funds made available in any Act to designate any portion of Canaveral National Seashore in Brevard County, Florida, as a clothing-optional area or area in which public nudity is permitted if such designation would be contrary to county ordinance. (Sec. 326) Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct technology transfer and development, training, dissemination of information, and applied research in the management, processing, and utilization of the hardwood forest resource. Permits the Secretary of Agriculture to operate and utilize assets of the Wood Education and Resource Center in West Virginia as part of a newly formed Institute of Hardwood Technology Transfer and Applied Research. Requires Institute revenues to be deposited in a special Treasury fund known as the Hardwood Technology Transfer and Applied Research Fund. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 327) Sets forth requirements for the sale of timber in Region 10 of the Forest Service, including those regarding the volume of western red cedar timber available for processors. (Sec. 328) Bars the use of funds available to the Secretaries of Agriculture or the Interior for introducing grizzly bears into Idaho or Montana without the approval of the Governors of both States. (Sec. 331) Amends the Service Contract Act to exempt from service contract labor standards any concession contract with Federal land management agencies the principal purpose of which is the provision of recreational services to the general public. Provides that such exemptions shall not affect the applicability of the Davis-Bacon Act to construction contracts associated with such contracts. (Sec. 332) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to implement a pilot program to charge and collect at least the fair market value for special forest products (vegetation or other life forms such as fungi that grows on National Forest System lands) harvested on such lands. (Sec. 334) Expands Forest Service authority to enter into stewardship and end result contracts to authorize an additional nine contracts in Region One. (Sec. 335) Amends Federal law to exempt units of local government and persons residing within such units that lie in the White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire, from Demonstration Program Fees imposed for access to the Forest. (Sec. 336) Prohibits the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture from limiting the number or acreage of millsites based on the ratio between the number or acreage of millsites and the number or acreage of associated lode or placer claims for any fiscal year. (Sec. 337) Authorizes increases in recreation residence fees, with a specified ceiling. (Sec. 338) Bars the use of monies appropriated for the purchase of land by the Forest Service in the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area unless the Forest Service complies with a specified acquisition protocol. (Sec. 340) Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior, before June 1, 2001, from issuing a prospecting permit for hardrock mineral exploration on Mark Twain National Forest land in the Current River-Jack's Fork River-Eleven Point Watershed, with a specified exception for land on which mining activities are currently taking place. Bars the use of Department of the Interior funds, before such date, to segregate or withdraw lands in the Forest from operation of public land laws and certain activities under such laws and mining laws. Requires specified Federal officials to study and report to specified congressional committees on exploratory drilling operations on such land. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to specified congressional committees on the impact of the cessation of lead mining in the Forest, the State of Missouri, and surrounding States on the public and private sectors, the strategic availability of lead in the United States, and the economies of the United States and such States. (Sec. 342) Amends the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 to extend a certain prohibition on the issuance of a final rulemaking with respect to the valuation of crude oil for royalty purposes until June 30, 2001, or until there is a negotiated agreement on the rule.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1999
Safety Net Preservation Act of 1999 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to establish a new prospective payment system for federally-qualified health centers and rural health clinics.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1999
Health Care Access and Equity Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow for the deduction of 100 percent of the health insurance costs of individuals not covered by an employer-subsidized plan; (2) expand the availability of medical savings accounts; (3) permit the carryover of unused benefits from cafeteria plans, flexible spending arrangements, and health flexible spending accounts; and (4) permit contributions towards a Medical Savings Account through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1999
Academic Achievement for All Act (Straight A's Act) - Allows States flexibility in combining and using use specified Federal elementary and secondary education formula program funds for State education priorities and programs, in exchange for being held accountable for meeting, in a five- year period, certain performance goals which they propose. (Sec. 3) Allows a State to opt to enter into such a performance agreement with the Secretary of Education, under which provisions of law relating to specified eligible programs shall not apply to the State, with certain exceptions. Includes under the terms of such agreements requirements relating to: (1) use of such funds to improve student achievement; (2) an accountability system; (3) performance goals and measures, and student achievement data; (4) fiscal responsibilities; (5) civil rights; (6) private school student and staff participation; (7) State financial participation; and (8) annual reports. (Sec. 4) Lists such eligible programs, under various provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), the Department of Education Appropriations Act of 1999, the Goals 2000: Educate America Act, the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998, and the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act. (Sec. 5) Sets forth requirements relating to: (1) within-State distribution of funds; (2) local participation; and (3) a set-aside for State administrative expenditures. (Sec. 8) Requires performance reviews at the end of the five-year period. Requires reductions of State administrative funds for States that have made little or no progress. Allows States that have met at least 80 percent of their performance goals to apply for renewal of performance agreements for an additional five-year period. (Sec. 10) Directs the Secretary annually to set aside sufficient funds from the Fund for the Improvement of Education under ESEA to grant achievement gap reduction rewards to States. Requires a performance reward to equal at least five percent of funds allocated to the State during the first year of the performance agreement for programs included in the agreement. Makes a State eligible to receive a reward if, over the five-year term of the performance agreement, it reduces by at least 25 percent the difference between the percentage of highest and lowest performing groups of students that meet the State's definition of proficient, with such reduction occurring in at least: (1) two content areas, one of which must be mathematics or reading; and (2) one grade level.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1999
Hospital Outpatient Preservation Act of 1999 - Amends the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA '97) to limit temporarily the reductions in Federal payments under the Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) for hospital outpatient department services under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act. Provides for the retroactive effectiveness of this Act as if included in B.B.A. '97.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1999
Recognizes that the creation of a better United States requires the active involvement of fathers in the rearing and development of their children. Urges: (1) each father in the United States to accept his full share of responsibility for the lives of his children, to be actively involved in rearing them, and to encourage their emotional, academic, moral, and spiritual development; (2) the States to hold fathers who ignore their legal responsibilities accountable for their actions and to pursue more aggressive enforcement of child support obligations; and (3) governments and institutions at every level to remove barriers to father involvement and enact public policies that encourage and support the efforts of fathers who do want to become more engaged in the lives of their children. Encourages each father to devote time, energy, and resources to his children, recognizing that children need not only material support, but also, more importantly, a secure, affectionate, family environment. Designates June 20, 1999, as National Father's Return Day. Calls on fathers around the country to use the day to reconnect and rededicate themselves to their children's lives, to spend National Father's Return Day with their children, and to express their love and support for them.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 1999
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction to a taxpayer who has a qualified timber gain in an amount equal to the qualified percentage of such gain.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1999
Rural Education Initiative Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to establish Rural Education Initiative (REI) programs under subpart 2 of part J (Urban and Rural Education Assistance) of title X (Programs of National Significance). (Replaces current subpart 2 provisions for demonstration grants for rural education, but retains provisions for higher education grants partnerships for rural education.) (Sec. 1) Makes a local educational agency (LEA) eligible for REI alternative use formula grants and competitive grants if: (1) the total number of students in average daily attendance at all of the schools served by the LEA is less than 600; and (2) all of the schools served by the LEA are located in a community with a Rural-Urban Continuum Code of 6, 7, 8, or 9, as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture. Provides, under the alternative use formula grant program, that an eligible LEA may use applicable funding that it is eligible to receive from the State educational agency (SEA) for a fiscal year to support local or statewide education reform efforts intended to improve the achievement of elementary school and secondary school students and the quality of instruction provided for the students. Defines applicable funding as that received under: (1) specified provisions of the Department of Education Appropriations Act, 1999; (2) ESEA title II (Dwight D. Eisenhower Professional Development Program); (3) ESEA title IV (Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities); and (4) ESEA title VI (Innovative Education Program Strategies). Requires each SEA receiving applicable funding to disburse it to LEAs for alternative uses at the same times it disburses it to LEAs that do not intend to use it for alternative uses for that fiscal year. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to eligible LEAs to support local or statewide education reform efforts intended to improve the achievement of elementary school and secondary school students and the quality of instruction provided for the students. Sets forth formulas for determining the amounts of such grants, based on numbers of children in average daily attendance at schools served by the LEAs, minus amounts received under applicable funding. Makes LEAs that receive such competitive grants ineligible for funds under specified ESEA programs. Sets forth accountability provisions. Requires LEAs that receive REI alternative use formula grants or competitive grants to administer tests to assess the academic achievement of students in their schools. Requires each SEA that receives applicable funding to: (1) determine, after the fifth year of an LEA's participation in either REI grant program, whether the LEA's students are performing better on such tests than after the first year of participation; (2) only permit LEAs that perform better to continue to participate for an additional five years; and (3) prohibit LEAs that do not perform better from participating for five years from the date of determination. Authorizes appropriations through FY 2004 for the following ESEA title X part J programs: (1) the REI program established by this Act; (2) higher education grants partnerships for rural education; and (3) Urban Education Demonstration Grants.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1999
Open Competition Act of 1999 - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to prohibit discrimination against any bidder on a prime contract for a federally funded project on the basis of a requirement that such person enter into or adhere to a collective bargaining agreement or any similar agreement as a condition of performing work on such contract.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1999
Lewis and Clark Expedition Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue one-dollar coins emblematic of the expedition of Lewis and Clark. Allocates surcharges from coin sales between the National Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Council and the National Park Service for activities associated with the bicentennial commemoration of the expedition.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1999
Amends the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act to: (1) decrease the funding available to the fish and wildlife protection program of the Northwest Power Planning Council; (2) make such program permanent; and (3) prescribe specified procedures for the Independent Scientific Review Panel review of programs or measures proposed in a Federal agency budget to be reimbursed or directly paid for by the Bonneville Power Administration with respect to Columbia Basin fish and wildlife.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1999
National Uniformity for Food Act of 1999 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) to prohibit any State or political subdivision from establishing or continuing in effect as to any food in interstate commerce any requirement for food labeling or food that is not identical to specified FDCA provisions. Prohibits any State or political subdivision from establishing or continuing in effect any notification requirement for a food that provides for a warning concerning the food's safety that is not identical to FDCA provisions. Allows a State to petition for an exemption and for a national standard regarding any requirement under the FDCA, as amended by this Act, or the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act relating to food regulation. Allows a State to establish a requirement that would otherwise violate FDCA provisions relating to national uniform nutrition labeling or this paragraph if the requirement is needed to address an imminent hazard to health that is likely to result in serious adverse health consequences and if other requirements are met.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1999
Fair Access to Indemnity and Reimbursement Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act to allow the recovery of attorney's fees and costs by certain employers and labor organizations who are prevailing parties in administrative proceedings brought against them by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) or before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) or in court proceedings brought by or against the NLRB or OSHRC. Requires that such employers or labor organizations have not more than 100 employees and a net worth of not more than $7 million at the time of such proceedings. Provides for such recovery without regard to whether the position of the NLRB, the Secretary of Labor, or a court was substantially justified or special circumstances make an award unjust.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Small Business Lawsuit Abuse Protection Title II: Product Seller Fair Treatment Small Business Liability Reform Act of 1999 - Title I: Small Business Lawsuit Abuse Protection - Allows punitive damages to be awarded against a small business only if the claimant establishes by clear and convincing evidence that conduct carried out by the defendant through willful misconduct or with a conscious, flagrant indifference to the rights or safety of others was the proximate cause of the harm that is the subject of the action. Limits such punitive damages to the lesser of two times the amount awarded for economic and noneconomic losses, or $250,000. (Sec. 104) States that, in any civil action against a small business: (1) each defendant shall be liable only for the amount of noneconomic loss allocated to that defendant in direct proportion to the percentage of responsibility of that defendant for the harm caused to the plaintiff; and (2) the court shall render a separate judgment against each defendant describing such percentage of responsibility. (Sec. 105) Excepts from such liability limitations any misconduct of a defendant: (1) that constitutes a crime of violence, international terrorism, or a hate crime; (2) that results in liability for damages under specified provisions of the Oil Pollution Control Act of 1990 or the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980; (3) that involves a sexual offense or violation of a Federal or State civil rights law; or (4) caused by being under the influence of intoxicating alcohol or a drug. (Sec. 106) Preempts inconsistent State law. Title II: Product Seller Fair Treatment - States that this title governs any product liability action brought in any Federal or State court. Excludes from this title actions for commercial loss, negligent entrustment, negligence per se concerning firearms and ammunition, and actions brought under a dram-shop or third-party liability arising out of the sale or provision of alcohol to an intoxicated person or a minor. (Sec. 204) Mandates that, in any product liability action covered by this Act, a product seller other than a manufacturer shall be liable to a claimant only if such claimant establishes that: (1) the product that caused the harm was sold, rented, or leased by the seller, the seller failed to exercise reasonable care with respect to the product, and such failure was the proximate cause of harm to the plaintiff; (2) the seller made an express warranty applicable to such product, the product failed to conform to the warranty, and such failure caused the harm to the plaintiff; or (3) the product seller engaged in intentional wrongdoing (as determined under applicable State law), and such wrongdoing caused the harm to the plaintiff. States that a seller shall not be considered to have failed to exercise reasonable care with respect to a product based upon a failure to inspect if: (1) there was no reasonable opportunity to inspect; or (2) such inspection would not have revealed the aspect of the product that allegedly caused the claimant's harm. Allows a seller to be liable as a manufacturer if: (1) the manufacturer is not subject to appropriate service of process; or (2) the court determines that the claimant is or would be unable to enforce a judgment against the manufacturer. Provides limited liability for persons engaged in the business of renting or leasing a product.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 1999
Estate Tax Elimination Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate Federal estate, gift, and transfer taxes. Eliminates the step-up in basis with respect to property acquired from a decedent. Establishes the basis for qualifying property acquired from a decedent (carryover basis property) as the property's initial basis increased by its allowable share of the decedent's allowance, as provided for in this Act. Describes noncarryover basis property. Authorizes a limited tangible personal property exclusion. Provides an additional exclusion for family-owned businesses and farms. Makes a nonresident who is not a U.S. citizen ineligible for basis adjustment based upon a decedent's exclusion allowance. Establishes a binding procedure for determining the initial basis of carryover basis property. Requires an executor to provide the Secretary of the Treasury and each beneficiary with specified carryover basis property information. Sets forth related noncompliance penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 1999
Motor Vehicle Rental Fairness Act of 1999 - Amends Federal transportation law to prohibit a State from holding motor vehicle rental or leasing companies liable for harm caused by a person to himself or herself, to another person, or to property resulting from that person's negligent operation of such motor vehicle. Declares that such prohibition does not apply to liability imposed under a State's statutory or common law based on negligence of a motor vehicle owner. Declares that nothing in this Act supersedes any State law: (1) imposing financial responsibility or insurance standards on the owner of a motor vehicle for the privilege of registering and operating a motor vehicle; or (2) imposing liability on such companies for failure to meet financial responsibility or liability insurance requirements under State law.
![Official portrait of Sen. Gorton, Slade [R-WA]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/g000333_200.jpg)