United States · United States Congress · 28 October 1997
Communications Satellite Competition and Privatization Act of 1997 - Amends the Communications Satellite Act of 1962 to prohibit the issuance or renewal of any licenses or construction permits to, or the authorization of use of space segments owned by, any separated entity unless the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) determines that such activities will not harm competition in the U.S. telecommunications market. Defines a "separated entity" as a privatized entity to whom a portion of the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization's (INTELSAT) or the International Mobile Satellite Organization's (Inmarsat) assets are transferred prior to their full privatization. Requires the FCC to limit or revoke the authority to use space segments owned or operated by INTELSAT or Inmarsat to provide non-core services to, from, or within the United States unless after January 1, 2002, and January 1, 2001, INTELSAT and Inmarsat, respectively, and their successor entities, have been privatized in a manner that will not harm competition in the U.S. telecommunications markets. Limits expansion of INTELSAT and Inmarsat services pending privatization of such entities. Prohibits the FCC from assisting in the registration of new orbital slots for INTELSAT or Inmarsat after January 1, 2002, and January 1, 2001, respectively, unless such entities have been privatized in a manner that will not harm competition. Directs the President and the FCC to secure a pro-competitive privatization of INTELSAT and Inmarsat that meets specified criteria, including requirements that: (1) INTELSAT and Inmarsat are privatized by January 1, 2002, and January 1, 2001, respectively; (2) successor and separated entities are national, stock corporations independent of signatories that control access to telecommunications markets and of any intergovernmental organizations; (3) preferential treatment is terminated; (4) expansions are prohibited during transition; (5) successor or separated entities apply through national licensing authorities for international frequency assignments and orbital registrations; (6) such entities are domiciled in countries that have laws and regulations that secure competition in telecommunications services, are signatories of the World Trade Organization Basic Telecommunications Services Agreement, and have a schedule of commitments in the Agreement that includes non- discriminatory market access to satellite markets; (7) unused orbital slots are returned to the International Telecommunication Union; and (8) INTELSAT's and Inmarsat's assets are audited before transfer. Lists specific additional licensing criteria for INTELSAT, INTELSAT separated entities, and Inmarsat. Requires the FCC to permit providers or users of telecommunications services to obtain direct access to INTELSAT and Inmarsat telecommunications services by January 1, 2001, and January 1, 2000, respectively, and to treat the communications satellite corporation (COMSAT) as a nondominant carrier on the effective date of such actions. Permits multiple signatories to represent the United States in INTELSAT and Inmarsat on such dates. Authorizes the FCC to impose regulatory fees on the U.S. signatory. Prohibits the FCC from assigning orbital slots or spectrum used for international or global satellite communications services by competitive bidding.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 1997
Iran Missile Proliferation Sanctions Act of 1997 - Directs the President to report periodically to specified congressional committees on foreign persons (except those previously identified or sanctioned or subject to waiver) who, on or after August 8, 1995, have transferred, or attempted to transfer, controlled goods or technology, or provided, or attempted to provide, technical assistance or facilities that contributed, or would have contributed, to Iran's efforts to acquire, develop, or produce ballistic missiles. Requires imposition on such persons of minimum two-year sanctions prohibiting: (1) sales to such persons of items on the United States Munitions List (and terminating sales of any controlled U.S. arms); (2) the export to such persons of dual use goods and technology; and (3) the provision of U.S. financial assistance. Authorizes the President to waive such sanctions on the basis of additional information demonstrating that the sanctioned person did not commit the acts alleged.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 1997
Taxpayer Protection Act of 1997 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise provisions concerning of the Office of the Taxpayer Advocate. Places such office under the direction of the National Taxpayer Advocate, who shall be appointed by the President. (Currently, the Office is under the direction of the Taxpayer Advocate, who is appointed by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue.) Revises provisions concerning reporting and responsibilities of the Office, including directing the National Taxpayer Advocate to appoint local taxpayer advocates who shall report directly to the National Taxpayer Advocate. Requires each local taxpayer advocate office to maintain separate phone, facsimile, and other communication access, and a separate post office address from its IRS district office or service center. Revises provisions concerning the authority to issue taxpayer assistance orders.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 1997
Disapproves the President's cancellations (line item veto) of appropriations for 36 military construction projects in the Military Construction Appropriations Act, 1998.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 1997
Asian Elephant Conservation Act of 1997 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to use amounts in the Asian Elephant Conservation Fund (established under this Act) to provide financial assistance for projects for the conservation of Asian elephants for which final project proposals are approved by the Secretary. Sets forth provisions concerning: (1) requirements for project proposals; (2) project review and approval; (3) reporting requirements for recipients of assistance provided by this Act; and (4) priority for projects for which there exists some measure of matching funds. Establishes the Asian Elephant Conservation Fund. Authorizes appropriations.
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 · 9 October 1997
Calls for the United States to: (1) give high priority to working with U.S. partners in the Americas to address shared foreign policy and security problems in the Western Hemisphere; (2) encourage efforts to increase the transparency of defense planning, military acquisitions, exercises, and deployments as well as other mutual- confidence and security-building measures in the Hemisphere in order to strengthen the environment of trust, confidence, and mutual restraint; (3) begin discussions with U.S. partners in the Hemisphere on steps that could lead to a voluntary multilateral restraint regime on the acquisition of advanced weapons systems in the Hemisphere; (4) encourage countries in the Hemisphere to implement the Santiago Declaration on Confidence and Security-Building Measures resolution adopted by the Organization of American States (OAS) on November 10, 1995; (5) take steps to bring about the implementation of the resolution on Conventional Arms Transparency and Confidence Building in the Americas adopted by the OAS on June 5, 1997; (6) increase the number of civilian and military personnel in foreign policy and defense-related training, education, and exchange programs from and to eligible countries in the Western Hemisphere and encourage similar programs between countries in the region; and (7) conduct an in-depth study of the roles, requirements, missions, and priorities of the U.S. armed forces in the Western Hemisphere in the post-Cold War environment, including steps that should be taken to improve Hemispheric security and areas of possible cooperation with the armed forces of other countries in the region. Urges the United States, in consultation with other countries in the Americas, to explore areas for enhancing cooperation and collaboration, including the strengthening of existing inter-American organizations and arrangements, in order to address shared problems relating to subregional and Hemisphere-wide foreign policy and security-related issues.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 1997
Directs the Secretary of Defense to ensure that any program to make prescription pharmaceuticals available by mail to covered beneficiaries under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) does not exclude covered beneficiaries who are also entitled to hospital insurance benefits under part A of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act.
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 · 25 September 1997
Estuary Habitat Restoration Partnership Act of 1997 - Establishes the Estuary Habitat Restoration Collaborative Council, to be composed of specified Federal officials. Directs the Council to develop an estuary habitat restoration strategy to ensure a comprehensive approach to the selection and prioritization of estuary habitat restoration projects and the full coordination of Federal and non-Federal activities related to such restoration. Requires, as part of such strategy, the development of: (1) a framework for coordinating and streamlining existing Federal plans and programs; and (2) proposals to maximize incentives for public-private partnerships and to leverage Federal resources to encourage increased private sector involvement in such restoration. Sets forth factors to be considered by the Council in determining project selection and assistance eligibility. Authorizes a restoration project to be designated as a priority project if it meets selection criteria and: (1) it addresses a restoration goal identified in the strategy; (2) it is part of an approved Federal estuary management or habitat restoration plan; (3) the non-Federal share of the project exceeds 50 percent; and (4) there is a nonpoint source program upstream of the project that addresses upstream sources that would otherwise re-impair the restored habitat. Gives such projects a higher priority for funding. Permits the Council to pay up to 25 percent of the cost of interim actions of restoration activity, pending completion of the strategy. Prohibits selection of a project until non-Federal interests have entered into specified written cooperation agreements pertaining to water resources projects in accordance with the Flood Control Act of 1970. Requires such agreements to provide for project maintenance and monitoring. Authorizes appropriations for the Council. Requires non-Federal applicants for assistance to demonstrate that a project meets this Act's requirements and selection criteria. Limits the Federal share of assistance to between 25 and 65 percent of a project's cost. Raises the maximum limit to 75 percent of the cost in cases of demonstrated need. Authorizes the Council to use funds made available under this Act to pay the share of costs of estuary habitat restoration activities eligible for funding under other laws if such activities would also be eligible for funding under this Act. Directs the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere to maintain a database of information on projects funded by the Council. Makes certain funds provided under the Water Resources Development Acts of 1986 and 1996 available to States and non-Federal persons in carrying out interim actions or projects under this Act. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Secretary of the Army to give estuary habitat restoration projects the same consideration as irrigation, navigation, or flood control projects and to establish such restoration as a primary mission of the Army Corps of Engineers. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out such projects. Directs the Comptroller General to report to the Congress and the Secretary on the extent to which the Council needs additional personnel and administrative resources to carry out this Act, including recommendations for necessary additional funding.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Surface Transportation Subtitle A: General Provisions Subtitle B: Program Streamlining and Flexibility Subtitle C: Finance Subtitle D: Safety Subtitle E: Environment Subtitle F: Planning Subtitle G: Technical Corrections Title II: Research and Technology Subtitle A: Research and Training Subtitle B: Intelligent Transportation Systems Subtitle C: Funding Intermodal Transportation Act of 1997 - Title I: Surface Transportation - Surface Transportation Act of 1997 - Subtitle A: General Provisions - Authorizes the use of specified sums from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for: (1) the Interstate (IS) and National Highway System (NHS) Program; (2) the Surface Transportation Program (STP); (3) the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ); and (4) the Federal Lands Highways Program (FLHP). Modifies the apportionment formulas under Federal highway provisions with respect to: (1) the IS and NHS Program (including an interstate maintenance (IM) and interstate bridge component, as well as funding for the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands); (2) CMAQ (providing for adjustments based on population and level of air pollution and requiring the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) to use the latest available annual population estimates prepared by the Secretary of Commerce); and (3) STP. Sets forth transitional provisions. Authorizes the Secretary to reimburse the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Transportation (DOT) for the conduct of annual audits of financial statements. (Sec. 1103) Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) obligation ceilings for Federal-aid highways and highway safety construction programs for FY 1998 through 2003, with exceptions; and (2) obligation authority. (Sec. 1104) Revises provisions regarding obligation authority under the STP to direct: (1) a State that is required to obligate in an urbanized area with an urbanized area population of over 200,000 individuals certain funds apportioned to the State to make available during the three-fiscal year periods of 1998-2000 and 2001-2003 a specified amount of obligation authority distributed to the State for Federal-aid highways and highway safety construction programs; and (2) each State, each affected metropolitan planning organization (MPO), and the Secretary to jointly ensure compliance. (Sec. 1105) Amends provisions regarding emergency relief to authorize an emergency fund for expenditure by the Secretary, subject to specified restrictions, for the repair or reconstruction of highways, roads, and trails, in any part of the United States, including Indian reservations, that the Secretary finds to have suffered serious damage as a result of natural disaster over a wide area or catastrophic failure from any external cause. Prohibits the use of funds for the repair or reconstruction of bridges that have been permanently closed to all vehicular traffic by the State or responsible local official because of imminent danger of collapse due to a structural deficiency or physical deterioration. Authorizes appropriations from the HTF to establish the fund and replenish it annually. Makes a specified project to repair or reconstruct a Federal-aid primary route in San Mateo County, California, eligible for assistance. (Sec. 1106) Authorizes the use of: (1) Federal land management agency funds to pay the non-Federal cost share of funded Federal-aid highway projects; and (2) FLHP funds to pay the non-Federal cost share of specified projects that provide access to or within Federal or Indian lands. Modifies FLHP provisions to establish a coordinated FLHP. Requires: (1) the Secretary to develop transportation planning procedures that are consistent with required metropolitan and statewide planning processes; (2) the Secretary's approval of the transportation improvement program (TIP); (3) that all regionally significant FLHP projects be developed in cooperation with States and MPOs, and be included in appropriate FLHP, State, and metropolitan plans and TIPs; (4) the inclusion of the approved FLHP TIP in appropriate State and MPO plans and programs without further action on the TIP; and (5) the Secretary and the Secretary of each appropriate Federal land management agency to develop safety, bridge, pavement, and congestion management systems for roads funded under the FLHP. Allows funds available for public lands highways, park roads and parkways, and Indian reservation roads to be used by the Secretary and the Secretary of the appropriate Federal land management agency to pay for the cost of transportation planning, research, engineering, and construction of the highways, roads, and parkways, or of transit facilities within public lands, national parks, and Indian reservations. Includes among eligible projects a project to build a replacement of the federally owned bridge over the Hoover Dam in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area between Nevada and Arizona. Directs: (1) the Secretary to transfer to the appropriate Federal land management agency from amounts made available for public lands highways such amounts as necessary to pay the cost to the agency to conduct necessary transportation planning for Federal lands if funding for the planning is not otherwise provided; and (2) the Indian tribal government, in cooperation with the Secretary of the Interior and, as appropriate, with a State, local government, or MPO, to carry out a transportation planning process in accordance with this Act. (Sec. 1107) Directs the Secretary to carry out a program to provide and maintain recreational trails. Sets forth provisions regarding State responsibilities, use of apportioned funds, State consideration of proposals that benefit or mitigate the impact to the natural environment, the Federal share (80 percent), uses not permitted, project administration, apportionment among the States, administrative costs, and contract authority. Makes amounts available from the HTF for FY 1998 through 2003 for such program. (Sec. 1108) Amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) to: (1) increase from five to 15 the number of value (formerly, congestion) pricing pilot programs eligible for funding; (2) require the Secretary to fund all pre-implementation costs; and (3) remove the three-program cap on the number of such programs on which the Secretary shall allow the use of tolls on the IS. Makes sums available from the HTF for each of FY 1998 through 2003. (Sec. 1109) Repeals provisions regarding economic growth center development highways. Revises provisions of ISTEA regarding highway use tax evasion projects to set the Federal share of such projects at 100 percent and to make available specified funds to the Secretary from the HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Directs the Secretary to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for the development and maintenance by the IRS of an excise fuel reporting system. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary from the HTF for development, operation, and maintenance of the system. (Sec. 1110) Includes the construction of pedestrian walkways as an eligible use of States' NHS apportionments under the same criteria by which bicycle transportation facilities are eligible. Removes a restriction against safely accommodating bicycles on highway bridges located on fully access-controlled highways. Modifies planning provisions to require that: (1) consideration be given to bicyclists and pedestrians in the comprehensive statewide and metropolitan planning processes; and (2) the inclusion of bicycle transportation facilities and pedestrian walkways be considered in conjunction with all new construction and reconstruction of transportation facilities, except where such transportation is not permitted. (Sec. 1111) Requires that: (1) at least ten percent of the funds authorized for specified programs under this Act be expended with small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals; (2) each State annually survey and compile a list of such businesses; and (3) the Secretary establish minimum uniform criteria for State government use in certifying business qualification. (Sec. 1112) Revises provisions regarding the Federal share payable on IS and other projects to authorize a State to determine a lower Federal share than that determined under such provisions. Authorizes a State to use as a credit toward the non-Federal share requirement for any program under ISTEA or specified Federal highway provisions, other than an emergency relief program, toll revenues that are generated and used by public, quasi-public, and private agencies to build, improve, or maintain, without the use of Federal funds, highways, bridges, or tunnels that serve the public purpose of interstate commerce, subject to specified requirements. (Sec. 1113) Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct: (1) an evaluation of the methodology used by DOT to determine highway needs using the highway economic requirement system (the model); and (2) a study on the extent to which the model can be used to provide States with useful information for developing State transportation investment plans and State infrastructure investment projections. Sets forth reporting requirements. Requires: (1) the Comptroller General to submit reports to the Congress on the international roughness index that is used as an indicator of pavement quality on the Federal-aid highway system; and (2) the Secretary to publish or otherwise report rates of obligation of funds apportioned or set aside according to program, funding category or subcategory, type of improvement, State, and sub-State geographic area on the basis of population. (Sec. 1115) Establishes the Cooperative Federal Lands Transportation Program, under which funds may be used for projects on highways that are owned or maintained by States or political subdivisions thereof that cross, are adjacent to, or lead to federally owned land or Indian reservations, as determined by the State. Directs that such projects be proposed by a State and selected by the Secretary. Sets forth provisions regarding formulas for the distribution of funds for projects, funds transfers, and rights-of-way across Federal land (not affected). Makes specified funds available from the HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. (Sec. 1116) Directs the Secretary to make incentive grants to designated States and MPOs to encourage joint transportation planning activities and to improve people and vehicle movement into and through international gateways as a supplement to statewide and metropolitan transportation planning funding. Requires as a grant condition that a State transportation department or MPO certify to the Secretary that it commits to be engaged in joint planning with its counterpart agency in Mexico or Canada. Limits grant awards to $100,000 per department or MPO for any fiscal year. Makes funds available from the HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Requires the Secretary to make grants to States to encourage, within the framework of the statewide transportation planning process, cooperative multistate corridor analysis of, and planning for, the safe and efficient movement of goods along and within international or interstate trade corridors of national importance. Sets forth provisions regarding the identification of corridors, corridor plans, and planning coordination. Consents to any two or more States: (1) entering into multistate agreements for cooperative efforts and mutual assistance in support of interstate trade corridor planning activities; and (2) establishing agencies to make the agreements effective. Makes specified funds available from the HTF for each of FY 1998 through 2003. Directs the Secretary to make grants to States or MPOs that submit an application that: (1) demonstrates need for assistance in carrying out transportation projects that are necessary to relieve traffic congestion or improve enforcement of motor carrier safety laws; and (2) includes strategies to involve both the public and private sectors in the proposed project. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) the selection of States, MPOs, and projects to receive grants; (2) permissible uses of grants; and (3) construction of transportation infrastructure for law enforcement purposes. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1998 through 2003. Sets forth provisions regarding coordination of planning, the Federal cost share, and the use of unallocated funds. (Sec. 1117) Amends the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965 to provide that: (1) each allocation to a State for the Appalachian development highway system shall remain available for expenditure for the fiscal year in which the allocation is made and the three following fiscal years; and (2) funds authorized for FY 1998 or thereafter, and not expended by a State during those four fiscal years, shall be released to the Appalachian Regional Development Commission for reallocation. Includes within the Appalachian development highway system a substitute corridor in lieu of Corridor H in Virginia. Increases the Federal share for prefinanced projects. Makes specified funds available for the continued construction of the system for FY 1998 through 2003. (Sec. 1118) Directs the Secretary to set aside specified funds for IS resurfacing, restoring, rehabilitating, or reconstructing, and for highway bridge replacement or rehabilitation, subject to specified requirements. (Sec. 1119) Requires the Secretary to solicit applications from States, or authorities designated by one or more States, for financial assistance authorized under this section for planning, design, and construction of eligible MAGLEV (i.e, transportation systems employing magnetic levitation that would be capable of safe use by the public at a speed in excess of 240 miles per hour) projects. Sets forth provisions regarding project eligibility, the Federal cost share, project selection criteria, and joint ventures. Makes funds available from the HTF for FY 1999 and 2000. Authorizes appropriations from the HTF for FY 2000 through 2003. Permits the use by a State of certain STP and CMAQ funds to pay a portion of project costs. (Sec. 1120) Requires the Secretary to execute an agreement with the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Authority or any Capital Region jurisdiction before funds made available under this section are available for construction of the replacement bridge, which shall identify whether the Authority or an individual entity will accept ownership of the new facility, and include a financial plan that identifies the total cost, schedule, and source of funds necessary to complete the project. Modifies the definition of the project to require that the replacement bridge be the preferred alternative identified in the record of decision in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. Authorizes appropriations from the HTF for FY 1998 through 2003 to pay the costs of planning, preliminary engineering and design, final engineering, acquisition of rights-of-way, and construction of the project. (Sec. 1121) Establishes the NHS as those routes and transportation facilities depicted on the map submitted by the Secretary to the Congress with a specified report, dated May 24, 1996. (Sec. 1122) Replaces the bridge program authorized in ISTEA with a requirement that States maintain their current funding levels for bridges on the Federal-aid system. Requires States to reserve at least an amount equivalent to the funding a State received under the bridge program for FY 1997 for bridges on either the IS, the NHS, or other Federal-aid roads. Requires an amount equivalent to at least 15 percent of a State's FY 1997 bridge apportionment to be expended on bridges off the Federal-aid system. Replaces the current requirement that States with Indian reservations reserve one percent of their bridge program funds for Indian reservation bridges to direct the Secretary to reserve at least $9 million for a program to fund improvements to Indian bridges. (Sec. 1123) Extends eligibility for CMAQ funding to include areas classified as submarginal ozone nonattainment areas and flexible attainment regions. Modifies eligibility for such funding to allow a State with a nonattainment area or maintenance area that received the minimum apportionment to use that amount of its apportionment not based on its nonattainment and maintenance area population on any project in the State eligible for STP funds. Excludes projects funded with CMAQ apportionments from the list of safety projects eligible for 100 percent Federal participation (making the standard 80 percent Federal share applicable). (Sec. 1124) Amends the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 to remove Maine from the list of States (currently, Maine and New Hampshire) to which specified safety belt use law requirements apply. Updates and extends such requirements with respect to New Hampshire (requiring a belt use rate of at least 50 percent in FY 1997 through 2000). Subtitle B: Program Streamlining and Flexibility - Chapter 1: General Provisions - Replaces ISTEA provisions directing the Secretary to deduct up to three and three quarters per cent of specified apportionments for administrative expenses with a requirement that the Secretary deduct up to one and one half percent of certain Federal-aid highway apportionments to administer the Federal-aid highway program. (Sec. 1202) Amends Federal highway provisions to: (1) authorize advance acquisition of real property for transportation improvements (currently limited to highway projects); and (2) provide a credit for acquired lands based on the value of publicly owned lands incorporated within a federally funded project. (Sec. 1203) Permits obligations incurred in prior fiscal years and released in a current fiscal year to be made available for reobligation. (Sec. 1204) Repeals a restriction that applies the Federal-non-Federal matching share requirement to each payment a State receives for construction. Makes the requirement applicable to total project costs rather than to individual voucher payments. (Sec. 1205) Replaces provisions regarding income from airspace rights-of-way with provisions regarding proceeds from the sale or lease of real property acquired with assistance from the HTF. (Sec. 1206) Amends the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 to provide that the Secretary shall not require States to use or plan the use of the metric system (currently, the Secretary may not require such action before September 30, 2000). (Sec. 1207) Requires the Secretary to submit to the Congress an annual (currently, monthly) report on States' obligations for Federal-aid highways, highway safety construction programs, and unobligated balances. (Sec. 1208) Terminates the right-of-way revolving fund (and provides for a 20 year close-out period), a pilot toll collection program, and a congressional bridge commission). Directs the Secretary to terminate the National Recreational Trails Advisory Committee. (Sec. 1209) Revises: (1) the eligible uses of funds apportioned for IM; and (2) the rules regarding the ability to transfer such funds to other Federal-aid highway programs. Chapter 2: Project Approval - Provides for the program-wide, rather than project-by-project, transfer and administration of transit funds made available for highway projects and highway funds made available for transit projects. Requires the Secretary to administer specified funds made available and transferred to Amtrak. (Sec. 1222) Eliminates provisions regarding State plans, specifications, and estimates for highway projects, including a provision limiting construction engineering costs to 15 percent of the total estimated costs of projects financed by Federal highway funds within a State in a fiscal year. Directs: (1) the Secretary to act upon plans, specifications, and estimates submitted by the State transportation department as soon as practicable and to enter into an agreement formalizing the conditions of project approval; and (2) the project agreement to make provision for State funds required for the State's pro rata share of project construction and maintenance costs. Authorizes the Secretary to discharge to the States with their approval the Secretary's responsibilities for the design, plans, specifications, estimates, contract awards, and inspection of projects on the NHS. (Sec. 1223) Requires States to set aside eight (currently, ten) percent of the STP funds for transportation enhancement activities. Reduces the current quarterly, project-by-project State certification and notification requirements to annual, program-wide approval of each State's project agreement. (Sec. 1224) Authorizes States to use design-build contracting for Federal-aid highway projects meeting specified minimum criteria. Chapter 3: Eligibility and Flexibility - Redefines "operational improvement" to include the installation, operation, or maintenance of certain intelligent transportation systems (ITS) infrastructure projects. (Sec. 1232) Specifies that the construction of ferry boats and ferry terminal facilities are eligible uses of NHS, STP, and CMAQ funds. (Sec. 1233) Requires each State to set aside two percent of its STP apportionment for railway-highway crossings, two percent for hazard elimination activities, and six percent for railway highway crossings or hazard elimination activities. (Sec. 1234) Expands eligibility of projects on the NHS and under the STP. (Sec. 1236) Eliminates a requirement that a State highway project plan accommodate future traffic demands. Requires the Secretary to ensure the consideration of planned future traffic needs. Subtitle C: Finance - Chapter 1: General Provisions - Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with States for the establishment of State infrastructure banks and multistate infrastructure banks for making loans and providing other assistance to public and private entities carrying out or proposing to carry out projects eligible for assistance, subject to specified requirements. Chapter 2: Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation - Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 1997 - Establishes a transportation Federal credit assistance pilot program to provide alternative financing for eligible surface transportation projects. Sets forth eligibility criteria. (Sec. 1315) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements with one or more obligors to make secured and direct loans to finance eligible project costs (including the refinancing of interim construction financing of such project costs for a limited time period). (Sec. 1318) Amends Federal transportation law to revise the duties of the Secretary to include, among other things, to develop and coordinate Federal policy on financing transportation infrastructure, including the provision of direct Federal credit assistance and other techniques used to leverage Federal transportation funds. Directs the Secretary to establish within the Office of the Secretary an Office of Infrastructure Finance, headed by a Director responsible for: (1) carrying out certain responsibilities of the Secretary, and research on financing transportation infrastructure; and (2) providing technical assistance to Federal, State, and local government agencies and officials to facilitate the development and use of alternative techniques for financing transportation infrastructure. (Sec. 1321) Makes specified sums available from the HTF for FY 1998-2003 to carry out this chapter. (Sec. 1322) Sets forth reporting requirements. Subtitle D: Safety - Directs the Secretary to set aside for each of FY 1998 through 2003 from STP funds: (1) $500,000 to carry out a public information and education program to help prevent and reduce motor vehicle accidents, injuries, and fatalities, and to improve driver performance at railway-highway crossings; and (2) $5 million for elimination of hazards of such crossings. (Sec. 1403) Expands the list of projects eligible for railway-highway funds to include trespassing countermeasures, safety education, enforcement of traffic laws, and publicly sponsored projects at privately owned railway-highway crossings. Requires States to report to DOT on certain completed projects. Repeals a requirement that half of such funds be available for installation of protective devices at such crossings. (Sec. 1404) Expands list of projects eligible for hazard elimination program funds to include projects that would remove road hazards to bicyclists. Repeals a prohibition on States using such funds to correct hazards on IS routes . (Sec. 1405) Requires the Secretary, if a State has not enacted or is not enforcing a repeat intoxicated driver law, to transfer one and one-half percent of a State's NHS and STP funds to the apportionment to be used for alcohol-impaired driving programs. Increases such percentage to three percent in FY 2002 and thereafter. Defines a "repeat intoxicated driver law" as one that requires, at a minimum, drivers with alcohol concentrations greater than or equal to .15 percent who are convicted of a second or subsequent offense within five years of the earlier conviction to receive a license suspension for at least one year, an assessment of the degree of alcohol abuse and treatment, as appropriate, and 30 days' community service or five days' imprisonment. (Sec. 1406) Provides incentive grants to States that either obtain a State seat belt use rate above the national average or increase the State seat belt usage. Makes funding available from the HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Subtitle E: Environment - Directs the Secretary to carry out a National Scenic Byways program, and to make grants and provide technical assistance to States to implement National Scenic Byways, State scenic byways, and All-American Roads projects and plan, design, and develop a State scenic byway program. Sets the Federal share at 80 percent, with exceptions. Makes funds available from the HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. (Sec. 1502) Allows an MPO, State transportation department, or other project sponsor to enter into an agreement with any public, private, or nonprofit entity to cooperatively implement any project carried out under CMAQ. Provides that activities eligible for funding in the case of projects for the use of alternative fuels by privately owned vehicles or vehicle fleets shall include costs of vehicle refueling infrastructure and other capital investments associated with the project but shall not include costs that would be borne by a private party or that would otherwise be offset under any other Federal, State, or local program. Prohibits a Federal participation payment from being made regarding any activity that is required under the Clean Air Act or any other Federal law. (Sec. 1503) Directs the Secretary to establish a national wetland restoration pilot program to fund specified mitigation projects to offset the degradation of wetlands, or the loss of functions and values of the aquatic resource, resulting from highway projects carried out before December 27, 1977, for which mitigation has not been performed. Sets forth provisions regarding selection of projects (and the formation of an interagency advisory council), selection criteria for priority projects, and reporting requirements. Makes specified funds available from the HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Subtitle F: Planning - Revises provisions regarding metropolitan transportation planning. Sets forth specified boundary requirements for urbanized areas designated after this Act's enactment as ozone or carbon monoxide nonattainment areas, including that the boundaries of the metropolitan planning area be established by agreement between the local government and the Governor and encompass at least the urbanized and contiguous areas expected to become urbanized in a 20-year forecast period. Revises factors to be considered in the metropolitan transportation planning process. Requires such factors and State or local goals to be addressed in long-range transportation plans as they relate to a 20-year forecast and other forecast periods determined by planning process participants. Requires financial plans included in transportation management programs to indicate available resources and innovative financing techniques without requirements for indicating project-specific funding sources. Lists parties responsible for selection of federally funded projects to be implemented in metropolitan areas from approved transportation improvement programs. Authorizes the Secretary to withhold up to 20 percent of Federal highway and mass transportation funds attributable to a transportation management area if a metropolitan planning process is not certified. (Currently, all or part of STP funds may be withheld for failures to certify.) (Sec. 1602) Makes amendments to statewide planning provisions similar to those made to metropolitan planning provisions with respect to: (1) factors considered in the planning process; (2) elimination of requirements for project-specific funding sources; and (3) a 20-year forecast period for long-range transportation plans. (Sec. 1603) Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) an advanced travel forecasting procedures program; and (2) a comprehensive initiative to investigate and address the relationships between transportation and community and system preservation. Makes funds available from the HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Subtitle G: Technical Corrections - Makes technical and conforming changes to Federal highway law. Increases the maximum allowable mileage on the NHS to 178,250 miles. Describes the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways and limits maximum mileage on the IS to 43,000 miles, exclusive of additional designations authorized by the Secretary. Title II: Research and Technology - Subtitle A: Research and Training - Amends Federal transportation law to direct the Secretary to establish a strategic planning process to: (1) determine national transportation research, development, and technology (RD&T) deployment priorities, strategies, and milestones over the next five years; (2) coordinate Federal transportation RD&T deployment activities; and (3) measure the impact of specified RD&T investments on the performance of the U.S. transportation system. Sets forth provisions regarding transactional authority of the Secretary, implementation of such process, and reporting requirements. Authorizes funds from the HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. (Sec. 2002) Directs the Secretary to establish a Multimodal Transportation Research and Development Program. Makes funds available from the HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. (Sec. 2003) Directs the Secretary to make grants to, or enter into contracts with, selected nonprofit institutions of higher learning to operate one university transportation center in each of the ten Federal administrative regions that comprise the Standard Federal Regional Boundary System. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to such institutions to establish and operate up to ten additional centers to address specified transportation issues. Sets forth provisions regarding selection criteria, the Federal cost share, program coordination, and review and evaluation. Makes funds available from the HTF for each of FY 1998 through 2003. (Sec. 2004) Expands the list of topics to be covered by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), including transportation-related variables influencing global competitiveness. Requires the Director of BTS to: (1) establish and maintain a transportation data base for all modes of transportation, and a National Transportation Library; and (2) develop and maintain geospatial data bases that depict transportation networks, flows of people, goods, vehicles, and craft over the networks, and social, economic, and environmental conditions that affect or are affected by the networks. Authorizes the Secretary to make specified research and development grants, including for development of electronic clearinghouses of transportation data and related information, as part of the National Transportation Library. Sets forth provisions regarding prohibited disclosures, and disposition of proceeds of data product sales. Makes funds available from the HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. (Sec. 2005) Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out certain transportation-related RD&T transfer activities (and authorizes the Secretary to test, develop, or assist in testing and developing any material, invention, patented article, or process); and (2) develop and carry out programs to facilitate the application of such products of research and technical innovations as will improve the safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of the transportation system. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out certain collaborative research and development activities. Sets forth mandatory elements of surface transportation RD&T transfer programs. (Sec. 2006) Directs the Secretary to establish an advanced research program within the FHWA to address longer-term, higher-risk research that shows potential benefits for improving the durability, mobility, efficiency, environmental impact, productivity, and safety of transportation systems. Makes funds available from the HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. (Sec. 2007) Directs the Secretary to complete long-term pavement performance program tests through the midpoint of a planned 20-year life of the program. Makes HTF funds available for FY 1998 through 2003. (Sec. 2008) Makes two percent of certain transportation funds available to the States for each fiscal year to fund planning and research. (Sec. 2009) Directs the Secretary to carry out a transportation assistance program to provide access to modern highway technology to: (1) certain low-population and rural highway and transportation agencies; and (2) contractors who work for such agencies. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and enter into cooperative agreements and contracts to: (1) assist rural local transportation agencies, tribal governments, and consultants; (2) deliver transportation technology and traffic safety information to local jurisdictions; (3) operate local technical assistance program centers; and (4) allow local transportation agencies and tribal governments to enhance new technology implementation. Makes funds available from the HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish and operate in FHWA a National Highway Institute; and (2) carry out a Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program to attract qualified students to the field of transportation. Makes funds available from the HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. (Sec. 2010) Provides authorized uses of international highway transportation outreach program funds. Enables States to use their State Planning and Research Program Funds for program activities. (Sec. 2011) Directs the Secretary to develop and administer a national technology deployment initiatives and partnerships program. Sets forth reporting requirements. Makes HTF funds available for FY 1998 through 2003. (Sec. 2012) Directs the Secretary to: (1) report every two years on estimates of the future highway and bridge needs of the United States; (2) establish and carry out a program to demonstrate the application of innovative material technology in the construction of bridges and other structures (and makes HTF funds available for FY 1998 through 2003); (3) make a grant to, or enter into a cooperative agreement or contract with, the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study to determine the goals, purposes, research agenda and projects, administrative structure, and fiscal needs for a new strategic highway research program (and sets reporting requirements); and (4) encourage and promote joint partnerships for advanced vehicles, components, and infrastructure (and sets forth reporting requirements and authorizes appropriations). Subtitle B: Intelligent Transportation Systems - Intelligent Transportation Systems Act of 1997 - Directs the Secretary to carry out a comprehensive program of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) research, development, operational testing, technical assistance and training, national architecture activities, standards development and implementation, and other similar activities, including a program to conduct research, development, and engineering designed to stimulate and advance deployment of an integrated intelligent vehicle program and an integrated intelligent infrastructure program. Sets forth provisions regarding priorities, cost sharing, a six-year plan, reporting and evaluation requirements, and funding. Directs the Secretary to: (1) maintain a repository for technical and safety data collected as a result of federally sponsored projects and, upon request, make such information (except for proprietary information and data) readily available to all users of the repository at an appropriate cost; (2) carry out a program to advance traffic incident management and response technologies, strategies, and partnerships that are fully integrated with ITS; (3) conduct a comprehensive program to accelerate the integration and interoperability of ITS; (4) conduct a comprehensive program to accelerate the integration or deployment of ITS in rural areas; and (5) carry out a comprehensive program to promote the safety and productivity of commercial vehicles and drivers, and reduce costs associated with commercial vehicle operations and State and Federal commercial vehicle regulatory requirements. Makes HTF funds available for FY 1998 through 2003. Requires the Secretary to develop, implement, and maintain a national architecture and supporting standards to promote the widespread use and evaluation of ITS technology as a component of U.S. surface transportation systems. Sets forth provisions regarding reporting requirements, waivers, funding limitations, and advisory committees. Repeals the Intelligent Transportation Systems Act of 1991. Subtitle C: Funding - Makes funds available from the HTF for research, technology, and training for FY 1998 through 2003. Limits obligations for each such year.
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 · 3 September 1997
Amends the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 to repeal specified provisions which provide for the tax treatment of certain tax-exempt organizations which provide commercial-type insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 3 September 1997
Extends condolences to the people of the United Kingdom on the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Recognizes the extraordinary impact of the Princess of Wales' humanitarian efforts around the world. Designates September 6, 1997, as a National Day of Recognition for the Humanitarian Efforts of Diana, Princess of Wales.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Executive Branch Governance and Senior Management of the Internal Revenue Service Subtitle A: Executive Branch Governance and Senior Management Subtitle B: Personnel Flexibilities Title II: Electronic Filing Title III: Taxpayer Protection and Rights Title IV: Congressional Accountability for the Internal Revenue Service Subtitle A: Oversight Subtitle B: Budget Subtitle C: Tax Law Complexity Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act of 1997 - Title I: Executive Branch Governance and Senior Management of the Internal Revenue Service - Subtitle A: Executive Branch Government and Senior Management - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to replace current provisions establishing the office of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue with provisions establishing the Internal Revenue Service Oversight Board (the Board). Requires that seven of the nine members of the Board not be full-time Federal officers or employees. Requires that all Board members have expertise in, among other things: (1) management of large service organizations; (2) customer service; and (3) the needs and concerns of taxpayers. Requires the Board to: (1) review and approve strategic plans of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); (2) review the operational functions of the IRS; (3) select the Commissioner of Internal Revenue (Commissioner), as well as senior IRS managers, and review the Commissioner's reorganization plans; and (4) review and approve the IRS budget request, as well as ensure audits of the IRS. (Sec. 102) Replaces current provisions which authorize the Secretary of the Treasury (Secretary) to employ such personnel as necessary for the proper administration and enforcement of the internal revenue laws with provisions requiring there to be in the Department of the Treasury a Commissioner who shall be appointed by the Board for a five-year term. Sets forth the duties of the Commissioner, including the: (1) administration and management of the internal revenue laws; and (2) Commissioner's responsibility to consult with the Board. Establishes and sets forth duties for: (1) a Chief Counsel for the IRS to be appointed by the President; (2) the Office of Employee Plans and Exempt Organizations; (3) an Office of the Taxpayer Advocate. (Sec. 103) Replaces current provisions concerning the effect of reorganization plans with provisions which authorize the Commissioner to employ such number of persons as proper to administer and enforce the internal revenue laws. Subtitle B: Personnel Flexibilities - Directs the Commissioner to establish a performance management system covering IRS employees which: (1) establishes retention standards; and (2) establishes performance goals or objectives. Provides for awards based on performance, but prohibits making an award solely on the basis of tax enforcement results. Sets forth other provisions concerning: (1) classification and pay; (2) staffing; and (3) demonstration projects. Title II: Electronic Filing - Provides for paperless filing and payment of taxes. Title III: Taxpayer Protection and Rights - Sets forth provisions concerning taxpayer protections and rights, including provisions concerning: (1) authority to issue taxpayer assistance orders; (2) authority to award costs and fees; (3) damages for negligence in collection actions; (4) criteria and procedures for selecting taxpayers for examination; (5) archival treatment of IRS records; (6) freedom of information; (7) offers-in-compromise; (8) jurisdiction of the Tax Court; (9) cataloging of complaints; and (10) procedures for taxpayer interviews. (Sec. 309) Eliminates the interest differential on overpayments and underpayments. (Sec. 310) Eliminates the failure to pay penalty as long as an installment payment agreement is in effect. (Sec. 311) Directs the Secretary to accept installment tax liability payments if: (1) such liability does not exceed $10,000; (2) the taxpayer has, during the past five years, paid on time; and (3) the taxpayer has not entered into a prior installment agreement. (Sec. 313) Directs the Secretary to make grants to provide matching funds for qualified low-income taxpayer clinics. (Sec. 319) Provides for studies concerning: (1) taxpayer confidentiality; (2) penalty administration; (3) treating all taxpayers as separate filing units; and (4) burden of proof. Title IV: Congressional Accountability for the Internal Revenue Service - Subtitle A: Oversight - Authorizes the Joint Committee on Taxation (Joint Committee) to procure the services of experts for investigations of the IRS by the General Accounting Office. (Sec. 402) Establishes additional reporting requirements for the Joint Committee. Subtitle B: Budget - Provides for additional budget authority for the IRS, but only on annual basis and only if specified improvements are made in taxpayer services. (Sec. 413) Directs the Commissioner to convene a financial advisory management group to advise the Commissioner. Subtitle C: Tax Law Complexity - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the IRS should provide the Congress with an independent view of tax administration. (Sec. 422) Requires a Senate or House of Representatives committee, when reporting legislation including any provision amending the IRC, to contain within the report a Tax Complexity Analysis. (Sec. 423) Declares it to be the policy of the Congress that employers should have a single point of filing tax and wage reporting information. (Sec. 424) Requires the Joint Committee to prepare a study of the feasibility of developing a baseline estimate of taxpayers' compliance burdens against which future legislative proposals could be measured.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1997
Calls for: (1) the President to demand that the Government of Russia take actions to stop governmental and nongovernmental entities in the Russian Federation from providing missile technology and technical advice to Iran in violation of the Missile Technology Control Regime; (2) the United States, if Russia's response is inadequate, to impose sanctions on the responsible Russian entities in accordance with Executive Order 12938 on the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and to reassess cooperative activities with Russia; (3) raising the threshold under current law allowing for the waiver of the prohibition on the release of foreign assistance to Russia; and (4) encouragement of our European allies to take steps to stop such proliferation.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 1997
Immigration Reform Transition Act of 1997 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (and the Illegal Immigration and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996) to authorize the Attorney General to cancel the removal and adjust the status of certain Central American aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 1997
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Accountability and Safety Act of 1997 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to withhold the U.S. share of assistance for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) projects in Cuba except those for the discontinuation, dismantling, or safety inspection of nuclear facilities or related materials, or for inspections and similar activities designed to prevent the development of nuclear weapons by Cuba or other specified countries. Denies this exception to (thereby withholding the U.S. share of assistance for IAEA projects at) the Juragua Nuclear Power Plant near Cienfuegos, Cuba, or the Pedro Pi Nuclear Research Center, unless Cuba ratifies certain nuclear weapon nonproliferation treaties and incorporates internationally accepted nuclear safety standards. Directs the Secretary of State to instruct the U.S. representative to the IAEA to oppose IAEA projects at the Juragua Nuclear Power Plant and the Pedro Pi Nuclear Research Center (including any other IAEA project in Cuba that is, or could become, a threat to the security of the United States). Requires specified reports.
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 · 23 July 1997
National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 - Amends the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 to state as the mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System to administer a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management, and restoration of fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitats. Adds a requirement that, in administering the System, the Secretary of the Interior shall ensure that the System's mission and the purposes of each refuge are carried out, except that if a conflict exists between the purposes of a refuge and the System mission, it shall be resolved in a manner that first protects the purposes of the refuge. Recognizes and supports wildlife-dependent recreation (recreation which involves hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, or environmental education and interpretation) within the System. Requires the Secretary to monitor the status and trends of fish, wildlife, and plants in each refuge. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative arrangements with State fish and wildlife agencies for the management of programs on a refuge. Prohibits the Secretary from initiating or permitting a new refuge use or expanding, renewing, or extending an existing use, unless the Secretary determines that such use is a compatible use which is not inconsistent with public safety. Establishes compatibility standards and procedures, including those for wildlife-dependent recreational uses. Requires the Secretary to issue final regulations establishing the process for determining a compatible use. States that the compatibility determination provisions of the Act shall not apply to overflights above a refuge or to activities authorized, funded, or conducted by a Federal agency having primary jurisdiction over a refuge. Directs the Secretary to propose comprehensive conservation plans for each refuge in the System except for lands in Alaska (which are governed by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act). Requires maximum 15-year cycles of plan revision. Sets forth matters to be considered in plan development, including fish and wildlife distribution and migration patterns, plant populations, archaeological and cultural values, habitat problems, and opportunities for compatible wildlife-dependent recreation. Authorizes the Secretary to temporarily suspend any refuge activity when necessary to protect the health and safety of the public or any fish or wildlife population.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 1997
Miccosukee Settlement Act of 1997 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, as trustee for the Miccosukee Tribe, to assist in the fulfillment of the settlement agreement concerning the transfer of: (1) certain Miccosukee tribal land to the Florida Department of Transportation; and (2) certain Florida land to the United States to be received and accepted in trust for the use and benefit of the Miccosukee Tribe, as Miccosukee Indian Reservation lands.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 1997
Imported Produce Labeling Act of 1997 - Requires country of origin labeling of perishable agricultural commodities imported into the United States. Authorizes fines for violations of such provision.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 1997
Requires the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy to: (1) take actions to include in the South Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area the I-4 corridor (the area along Interstate 4 in Florida that extends from Daytona Beach, Florida, and the surrounding vicinity to Tampa Bay, Florida, and the surrounding vicinity; and (2) conduct a comprehensive analysis of the problem of drug trafficking in the I-4 corridor and report to appropriate heads of Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies on a strategy to address the problem. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 1997
Urges the German Government to: (1) expand and simplify its system of reparations so that all Holocaust survivors can receive reparations regardless of their nationality, length or place of internment, or current financial situation; (2) provide reparations to Holocaust survivors in the former Soviet Union and other former Communist countries in Eastern and Central Europe; (3) fulfill its responsibilities to Holocaust victims and immediately set up a comprehensive medical fund to cover the medical expenses of all Holocaust survivors worldwide; and (4) help restore the dignity of such survivors by paying them sufficient reparations to ensure that no Holocaust survivor be forced by poverty to live in conditions worse than those generally enjoyed by the surviving former Nazis who persecuted them.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 1997
Money Laundering and Financial Crimes Strategy Act of 1997 - Amends Federal law governing monetary transactions to direct the President (acting through the Secretary of the Treasury) to develop and submit annually to the Congress a national strategy for combating money laundering and related financial crimes. Prescribes strategy contents. Requires: (1) an element of the national strategy to be the designation of certain geographic areas, industries, sectors, or institutions as areas in which money laundering and related financial crimes are extensive or present a substantial risk; and (2) the Secretary to take specified factors into consideration when identifying such areas. Authorizes certain Federal, State and local officials and prosecutors to submit a written request for the designation of a high-risk money laundering and related financial crimes area. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to State and local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to investigate and prosecute money laundering and related financial crimes in high-risk money laundering areas (with special preference given to collaborative efforts of several State and local law enforcement agencies or prosecutors with a history of intergovernmental cooperative law enforcement and prosecutorial efforts in responding to such criminal activity). Authorizes appropriations. Instructs the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to establish the funding for law enforcement activities regarding money laundering and related financial crimes for each applicable department or agency as a separate object class in each annual budget submitted to the Congress. Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on the effectiveness of and need for the designation of high-risk money laundering and related financial crime areas.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 1997
Captive Exotic Animal Protection Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit and set penalties for knowingly transferring, transporting, or possessing, in or affecting interstate commerce, a confined exotic animal for purposes of allowing the killing or injuring of that animal for entertainment or the collection of a trophy.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1997
United States-Caribbean Basin Trade Enhancement Act - Amends the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act to accord, for a specified transition period, the same tariff and quota treatment (lower tariffs or duty-free treatment) given certain textile and apparel articles imported from North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) countries to such articles from U.S.-Caribbean Basin Trade Enhancement Act (CBTEA) beneficiary countries planning to become parties to the Free Trade Area of the Americas, or countries which have undertaken their obligations under the World Trade Organization on or ahead of schedule. Authorizes any interested U.S. person during such transition period to request the President to proclaim lower tariff and quota treatment with respect to certain nonoriginating CBTEA textile and apparel articles. Directs the President to report periodically to the Congress concerning CBTEA beneficiary countries. Directs the United States International Trade Commission to report biennially to the Congress and the President on the economic impact of this Act on U.S. industries and consumers, including its effectiveness in promoting drug-related crop eradication and crop substitution efforts of the CBTEA beneficiary countries. Authorizes the President to determine that a country is not providing adequate protection of intellectual property rights under its laws, even if it is in compliance with the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights under the Uruguay Round Agreements Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1997
Interstate Compact - Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin Compact - Grants the consent of Congress to the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin Compact between Alabama, Florida, and Georgia to promote interstate comity, remove causes of controversies, apportion surface waters, engage in water planning, and develop and share common data bases.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1997
Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 1997 - Establishes a transportation Federal credit assistance pilot program to provide alternative financing for eligible surface transportation projects. Sets forth eligibility criteria for such assistance. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to enter into agreements with one or more obligors to make secured and direct loans to a State, local servicer, or other entity to finance eligible projects costs (including the refinancing of interim construction financing of such project costs). Amends Federal transportation law to revise the duties of the Secretary to include, among other things, to develop and coordinate Federal policy on financing transportation infrastructure, including the provision of direct Federal credit assistance and other techniques used to leverage Federal transportation funds. Directs the Secretary to establish within the Office of the Secretary an Office of Infrastructure Finance, headed by a Director who shall be responsible for: (1) carrying out certain responsibilities of the Secretary; (2) carrying out research on financing transportation infrastructure; and (3) providing technical assistance to Federal, State, and local government agencies and officials to facilitate the development and use of alternative techniques for financing transportation infrastructure. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1997
Medicaid Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Control Act of 1997 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to ban Medicaid spending for roads, bridges, stadiums, or any other item or service not covered under a State Medicaid plan. (Sec. 3) Conditions State Medicaid plan issuance or renewal of provider numbers for suppliers of durable medical equipment upon the provider's continuing disclosure of specified ownership or control interest information as well as a surety bond of at least $50,000. Requires a $50,000 surety bond from home health agencies. (Sec. 5) Revises conflict-of-interest safeguards. (Sec. 6) Provides authority for the State to refuse to enter into Medicaid agreements with individuals or entities convicted of a felony. Prohibits certain affiliations by managed care entities with persons or entities (or affiliates) debarred by Federal agencies. (Sec. 8) Revises requirements for State mechanized claims processing and information retrieval systems (Medicaid Management Information Systems (MMIS)), including electronic transmission of claims data in a format consistent with the Medicaid Statistical Information System (MSIS). (Sec. 9) Provides for a public process for developing State plan amendments and waiver submissions. (Sec. 10) Directs the Administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration to: (1) develop mechanisms to better monitor and prevent inappropriate Medicaid payments for individuals dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare benefits; (2) study the use of case management or care coordination in order to improve the appropriateness, quality, and cost-effectiveness of care for dually-eligible individuals; and (3) work with the States to ensure better care coordination for dual eligibles and recommend to the Congress any statutory changes that would not compromise beneficiary protections, and that would improve or facilitate such care. (Sec. 11) Amends SSA title XIX to require State Medicaid plans to provide programs to: (1) ensure program integrity, protect and advocate on behalf of individuals, and to report to the State data concerning beneficiary concerns and complaints and instances of beneficiary abuse or program waste or fraud by managed care plans operating in the State; (2) to assist beneficiaries, especially families of special needs children and persons with disabilities, with explanations of managed care plans; and (3) collect and report to the State data on the number of fraud, waste, or abuse complaints or instances, as well as systematic problems with managed care contractors. (Sec. 12) Authorizes State Medicaid fraud control units to investigate and prosecute, upon the approval of the relevant Federal agency, any aspect of the provision of health care services and activities of service providers under any Federal health care program, if the suspected fraud or violation of law is primarily related to the State Medicaid plan or the Medicare program. Authorizes such units to have procedures for reviewing and prosecuting complaints of patient abuse in Medicaid board and care facilities. (Sec. 13) Amends SSA title XI to provide that: (1) Medicaid-related actions are not stayed by bankruptcy proceedings; (2) Medicaid-related debt is not dischargeable in bankruptcy; and (3) repayment of certain Medicaid-related debt to the United States or to a State is considered final and not a preferential transfer.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1997
Florida Coast Protection Act of 1997 - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to define preleasing activity to include: (1) the scheduling of a lease; (2) making of a request for industry interest; (3) the issuance of a call for information or a nomination; (4) the publication of a draft or final environmental impact statement; and (5) the performance of any form of rotary drilling in a prospective lease area. Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from conducting any preleasing activity, or holding any lease sale in the South Atlantic Planning Area off the coast of Florida, the Straits of Florida Planning Area, or the Eastern Gulf of Mexico Planning Area within 100 miles of the Florida coast. Requires the Secretary to cancel the six leases known as the "Pensacola Block 933 Unit." Prohibits the Secretary from approving any exploration or development plan or permit to drill with respect to such lease areas, prior to the Secretary's cancellation of those leases. Provides for compensation to lessees owning canceled leases.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1997
Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness and Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center Designation Act - Amends the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978 to redesignate the Everglades Wilderness in Everglades National Park, Florida, as the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness to commemorate Mrs. Douglas's vision and leadership in the protection of the Everglades and the establishment of such Park. Amends the Everglades National Park Protection and Expansion Act of 1989 to require the Secretary of the Interior to designate the main visitor center facility at the Park's headquarters as the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center to commemorate Mr. Coe's vision and leadership in the establishment and protection of the Park.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 1997
Ocean and Coastal Research Revitalization Act of 1997 - Amends the National Sea Grant College Program Act to add or modify various definitions. (Sec. 5) Replaces provisions establishing and administering the National Sea Grant College Program with provisions maintaining such a program and setting forth its elements and the Program duties of the Secretary of Commerce. (Sec. 6) Repeals provisions authorizing grants and contracts regarding specified international activities, including research, education, and technology transfer. (Sec. 7) Replaces provisions providing for the designation of sea grant colleges and regional consortia with provisions setting forth the criteria for designation as a sea grant college or institute and designee duties. (Sec. 8) Repeals provisions mandating support of graduate fellowships related to ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources. (Sec. 9) Modifies requirements regarding the sea grant review panel. (Sec. 10) Authorizes appropriations to carry out the Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1997
Puerto Rico Economic Activity Credit Improvement Act of 1997 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify the requirements for corporations to be eligible for the Puerto Rico economic activity credit. Requires that, in determining the credit amount, the credit provisions be applied separately to each substantial line of business of the corporation. Removes provisions limiting, in taxable years beginning after 2001, the aggregate taxable income taken into account in determining the amount of the credit. Terminates the credit four years after Puerto Rico has, for three consecutive years, unemployment under and per capita income over specified percentages of the U.S. rates. (Sec. 3) Amends provisions relating to the Puerto Rico and other possession tax credit to modify, with respect to possessions other than Puerto Rico, corporate eligibility requirements. Requires that, in determining the credit amount, the credit provisions be applied separately to each substantial line of business of the corporation. Modifies additional restricted credit requirements. Sets forth the circumstances in which the credit is available with regard to Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Terminates the credit, for any possession other than Puerto Rico, four years after the possession has, for three consecutive years, unemployment under and per capita income over specified percentages of the U.S. rates and poverty under a specified level.
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
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Expanding Small Business Coverage Title II: Enhancing Fairness for Women and Families Title III: Increasing Portability for Participants Title IV: Strengthening Pension Security and Enforcement Title V: Reducing Regulatory Burdens Retirement Security for the 21st Century Act - Title I: Expanding Small Business Coverage - Amends Internal Revenue Code (IRC) deferred compensation provisions to prohibit treating as an elective deferral any matching contribution made on behalf of a self-employed individual. (Sec. 102) Exempts from prohibited transaction taxes certain transactions regarding a trust forming part of a stock bonus, pension, or profit-sharing plan involving loans to, payments for services rendered by, or acquisitions from or sales to an owner-employee. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to exempt such transactions from provisions: (1) limiting plan holding of employer securities and employer real property; (2) prohibiting certain fiduciary actions, benefits, and compensation; and (3) relating to certain plan transactions involving employer securities or employer real property. (Sec. 103) Allows an employer to establish payroll deductions for contributions to employee individual retirement plans without incurring ERISA liability. (Sec. 104) Amends the IRC to allow an eligible employer to establish and maintain a SAFE annuity (an individual retirement annuity) or a SAFE trust (a trust forming part of a defined benefit plan), both to be funded by the employer. Makes the employer contributions deductible without limitation and otherwise provides for the treatment of contributions and distributions. Mandates a penalty for early withdrawals. Requires simplified employer reports for SAFE annuities and simplified actuarial reports for SAFE trusts. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to exempt SAFE trusts from coverage requirements and SAFE annuities from certain employer reporting requirements. (Sec. 105) Amends the IRC to modify definitions applicable to special rules for top-heavy plans. Requires consideration of employer matching contributions in determining whether a defined contribution plan meets minimum contribution requirements. Title II: Enhancing Fairness for Women and Children - Removes a requirement that an individual's spouse's participation in certain pension plans reduce the individual's dollar limitations on retirement contribution deductions. (Sec. 202) Makes the salary percentage limitations on additions to defined contribution plans inapplicable to elective deferrals. (Sec. 203) Permits participants on maternity or paternity leave to make additional elective deferrals. Provides for the treatment and timing of the contributions and sets forth other definitions and rules. (Sec. 204) Amends the IRC and ERISA to set three- and five-year vesting periods for matching contributions under a qualified cash or deferred arrangement. Provides for the treatment of matching contributions. (Sec. 205) Amends Federal civil service retirement and Federal employees' retirement system provisions to entitle a former spouse of a deceased former employee to a deferred annuity in certain circumstances. (Sec. 206) Amends the IRC to provide for the circumstances in which a distribution or payment from an eligible deferred compensation plan must be treated as made pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order. Title III: Increasing Portability for Participants - Excludes from gross income any portion of an individual's eligible retirement plan rolled over or transferred into another eligible retirement plan. Sets forth related rules. (Sec. 302) Allows plans to accept rollover contributions. (Sec. 303) Amends the IRC and ERISA to set forth the circumstances in which a defined contribution plan will not be treated as failing to meet requirements merely because the transferee plan does not provide some or all the forms of distribution previously available under another defined contribution plan. (Sec. 304) Amends the IRC to allow amounts in a qualified cash or deferred arrangement to be distributed after: (1) severance from employment (currently, after separation from service); or (2) a plan termination (currently, a plan termination, a disposition of assets, or a disposition of a subsidiary). Title IV: Strengthening Pension Security and Enforcement - Amends the IRC and ERISA to modify the definition of "full-funding limitation" and set forth a special amortization rule. Amends the IRC to change deductibility requirements regarding an employer's contributions to an employees' trust annuity plan and compensation under a deferred-payment plan. (Sec. 402) Amends ERISA to modify requirements regarding missing participants. (Sec. 403) Amends ERISA and the IRC to exempt from a requirement that plans prohibit the assignment or alienation of benefits any offset of a benefit against an amount a participant is ordered or required to pay under certain criminal or civil judgements or settlements. (Sec. 404) Amends ERISA to increase the maximum civil penalty authorized for certain prohibited transactions. (Sec. 405) Modifies the definition of "eligible individual account plan" for provisions regarding the acquisition and holding of employer securities and employer real property by certain plans. (Sec. 406) Requires that pension benefit statements be furnished annually (once every three years for defined benefit plans) or on request. Allows written or electronic statements. Requires multiemployer plans to furnish a statement (written or electronic) on request. (Sec. 407) Allows (currently, requires) civil monetary penalties of up to (currently, equal to) specified amounts regarding certain breaches of fiduciary responsibility. Modifies the amounts and makes the liability joint and severable. (Sec. 408) Amends the IRC to modify requirements regarding the tax on nondeductible contributions. (Sec. 409) Prohibits plans from making loans to beneficiaries through any revolving credit arrangement. Title V: Reducing Regulatory Burdens - Makes certain nondiscrimination and participation requirements inapplicable to a governmental plan. (Sec. 502) Declares that a trust does not fail to be qualified if it made good faith efforts but failed to satisfy requirements and substantially corrected the failure. Allows, in some circumstances, the plan to be required to make a payment bearing a reasonable relationship to the severity of the plan's failure to satisfy requirements. Modifies requirements regarding the taxability of the beneficiary of a nonexempt trust. (Sec. 503) Amends ERISA to remove a requirement to file a summary plan description, a plan description, modifications and changes, and documents relating to the employee benefit plan. Authorizes a civil monetary penalty for failure to furnish such material on request. (Sec. 504) Mandates issuance of coordinated guidance to: (1) modify operational and time requirements to permit the use of new technologies; and (2) clarify the extent to which State paper transaction laws are preempted and the extent to which IRC requirements shall be interpreted to permit paperless transactions. (Sec. 505) Amends the IRC and ERISA to increase the dollar amount that, if exceeded, requires a participant's consent for immediate distribution. (Sec. 506) Amends the IRC to modify requirements regarding plan valuation timing. (Sec. 507) Amends ERISA to change requirements, in the case of a terminated single-employer plan, regarding the guarantee of benefits and the allocation of assets. (Sec. 508) Amends the IRC to modify the definition of "applicable dividend" for provisions relating to deductions for dividends paid on certain employer securities. (Sec. 509) Changes the definition of "includible compensation" for provisions relating to the taxability of beneficiaries under annuities purchased by section 501(c)(3) organizations or public schools. Mandates a change in the regulations regarding the exclusion allowance to reflect an amendment made by the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Protecting Program Integrity Title II: Sanctions for Fraud and Abuse Title III: Technical Clarifications and Corrections Title IV: Coordination of Benefits Medicare Antifraud Act of 1997 - Title I: Protecting Program Integrity - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from issuing or renewing the provider number of a durable medical equipment (DME) supplier unless the supplier provides information on ownership or control interests and a surety bond of at least $50,000; (2) require home health agencies to provide such a surety bond; and (3) authorize application of such disclosure and surety bond requirements to suppliers of ambulance services and clinics that furnish medical and other health services (other than physicians' services) under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance). (Sec. 102) Amends SSA title XI to condition provider payment under the Medicare, Medicaid (SSA title XIX), and Maternal and Child Health Services (SSA title V) programs on the disclosure to the Secretary of certain applicable employer identification and social security numbers, including those of individuals with an ownership or control interest in the provider. Requires verification of such information, and correction if necessary, by the Social Security Administration. (Sec. 103) Requires non-physician practitioners to provide diagnostic codes for furnished items or services. Requires both physicians and non-physician practitioners to provide diagnostic information to another entity when ordering from it certain items or services if the Secretary requires such entity to provide such information in order to be paid. (Sec. 104) Replaces the reasonable charge methodology for the payment of Medicare benefits with a methodology that uses fee schedules developed by the Secretary. (Sec. 105) Requires the Secretary to describe by regulation the factors to be used in determining the cases or particular items in which application of special DME payment rules results in inherently unreasonable amounts. Applies such regulations to payment for surgical dressings. (Sec. 106) Amends SSA title XI to authorize the Secretary to exclude from the Medicare program an entity controlled by a family or household member of a sanctioned individual. (Sec. 107) Amends SSA title XVIII to make Medicare carriers, States, and fiscal intermediaries liable to the Secretary for any payment of claims submitted by excluded providers after the Secretary notifies the organization or agency of such exclusion. (Sec. 108) Amends SSA titles XVIII and XIX to authorize the Secretary or a State to refuse to enter into Medicare or Medicaid agreements with individuals or entities convicted of felonies. (Sec. 109) Amends part A (General Provisions) of SSA title XI to provide that Medicare- and Medicaid-related actions are not stayed by bankruptcy proceedings, and Medicare- and Medicaid-related debt is not dischargeable in bankruptcy. Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the use of Medicare standards and procedures in bankruptcy proceedings. (Sec. 110) Amends the Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986 to: (1) authorize the availability of National Practitioner Data Bank information to the Inspectors General of the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), of Defense, and of Labor, of the Office of Personnel Management, and of the Railroad Retirement Board; and (2) exempt the HHS Inspector General from fees for such information. (Sec. 111) Amends SSA title XIX to extend the authority of State Medicaid Fraud Control Units to investigate and prosecute: (1) fraud in other Federal health care programs, upon the approval of the relevant Federal agency; and (2) patient abuse in non-Medicaid board and care facilities. (Sec. 112) Amends SSA title XVIII to change from biennial to annual the General Accounting Office report on the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund's Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Account. Title II: Sanctions for Fraud and Abuse - Amends SSA title XI to permit the Secretary to impose civil monetary penalties for kickback violations, and for persons that contract with individuals excluded from participation in a Federal health care program, as well as for services ordered or prescribed by an excluded individual or entity. Title III: Technical Clarifications and Corrections - Makes technical amendments to SSA title XI. Title IV: Coordination of Benefits - Amends SSA title XVIII to repeal the termination dates of, thus extending permanently, certain Medicare secondary payer provisions with respect to the working disabled, individuals with end-stage renal disease, and the IRS-SSA- HCFA data match. (Sec. 402) Makes technical changes concerning minimum sizes of group health plans. (Sec. 403) Requires group health plans to provide the Secretary, and employers and employee organizations to provide plan administrators, certain information pertaining to employers, employees, and employee family members with current or former employment status. (Sec. 404) Makes certain technical revisions to time and filing limitations, the liability of third party administrators, and requirements for reimbursement for Medicare secondary payer payments.
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 · 9 June 1997
Downed Animal Protection Act - Amends the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 to make it unlawful for any stockyard owner, market agency, or dealer to buy, sell, give, receive, transfer, market, hold, or drag any nonambulatory livestock unless such livestock has been humanely euthanized.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1997
Principal Residence Tax Exclusion Act of 1997 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to replace the existing one-time exclusion of up to $125,000 of gain from the sale of a principal residence by a person at least 55 years old with an exclusion of gain of up to $250,000 ($500,000 for qualifying joint return) for a qualifying sale of a principal residence regardless of the person's age. Applies such exclusion to only one sale or exchange every two years. Repeals the provision providing for nonrecognition of gain on principal residence rollovers.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1997
Department of Veterans Affairs Employment Discrimination Prevention Act - Establishes in the Department of Veterans Affairs an Office of Employment Discrimination Complaints Resolution headed by a Director who shall be solely responsible for resolving complaints of unlawful employment discrimination (UED) within the Department. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to employ within such Office such administrative law judges (ALJs) and other personnel as necessary. Directs the Secretary to include in Department budget information submitted annually to the Congress specified information on the Office budget and activities. Requires the Director to prescribe: (1) standards of timeliness for the resolution of UED complaints; (2) Office employee qualification and training requirements; (3) requirements for recordkeeping pertaining to counseling and investigations conducted by Office employees; and (4) standards for conduct of UED investigations. Requires such standards to be consistent with those prescribed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, while allowing the Director to shorten the time period for the resolution of complaints. Provides for informal UED complaint resolution procedures within the Office, requiring the Director, if such a complaint is not resolved informally, to assign the complaint to an ALJ for appropriate determination. Requires Office employees to conduct complaint investigations and report results to the Director, who shall then forward such complaint to the presiding ALJ, the complainant, and the Secretary. Requires final complaint resolution by the ALJ when not resolved through informal proceedings. Authorizes the complainant to request a hearing on the matter, to be granted by an ALJ unless there is no dispute as to a material fact. Provides for Commission review of final Office decisions. Applies Federal violation reporting protection provisions (whistleblower provisions) to Department employees or applicants.
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