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United States · Official source
7,990 records where Sen. Kennedy, Edward M. [D-MA] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2000
Recognizes that eating dinner as a family is a critical step toward raising healthy, drug-free children. Designates Monday, June 19, 2000, as National Eat-Dinner-With-Your-Children Day.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2000
Chimpanzee Health Improvement, Maintenance and Protection Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for the establishment and operation of a national sanctuary system for all surplus federally owned chimpanzees that are no longer needed in research conducted or supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, or other Federal agencies. Mandates that any chimpanzee that is not owned by the Federal Government be accepted into the system if the owner transfers title to the chimpanzee to the sanctuary system. Provides for standards for permanent retirement of chimpanzees into the system. Requires such standards to empower the Secretary to authorize imposition of a fee (except in certain circumstances) for accepting a non-Federal chimpanzee into the system. Provides for funding. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants or contracts for the operation of facilities that provide for the retirement of chimpanzees in accordance with the same standards that apply to the sanctuary system.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2000
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) everyone in the United States should have a decent home; (2) Members of the Senate should demonstrate the importance of volunteerism; and (3) Members of the Senate and contributing organizations should sponsor and construct two homes in the District of Columbia, each of which to be known as a "House That the Senate Built."
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2000
Postmasters Fairness and Rights Act - Amends Federal law to prescribe guidelines within which the Postal Service shall propose changes in pay policies, schedules, and fringe benefit programs affecting postmasters which are to be in effect during the period covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the Postal Service and certain recognized bargaining representatives. Grants certain qualified postmasters' organizations the right to participate in program planning and development pertaining to pay policies, schedules, and fringe benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2000
Brownfields Revitalization and Environmental Restoration Act of 2000 - Title I: Brownfields Revitalization Funding - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish programs to provide grants to eligible entities (including local government units, redevelopment agencies, States, and Indian tribes) for: (1) inventorying, characterizing, assessing, and conducting planning related to brownfield sites; and (2) remediating brownfield sites through loans. Defines a "brownfield site," with exceptions, as real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which is complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance or pollutant. Includes within such definition a site contaminated by a controlled substance or mine-scarred land. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Brownfields Liability Clarifications - Exempts from liability under CERCLA certain owners of real property contiguous to property on which there has been a hazardous substance release or threatened release that is not owned by such persons. (Sec. 202) Absolves from liability for response actions bona fide prospective purchasers to the extent liability at a facility for a release or threat thereof is based solely on ownership or operation of a facility. Gives a lien upon a facility to the United States for unrecovered response costs in any casefor which the owner is not liable by reason of this section and the facility's fair market value has increased above that which existed before the action was taken. (Sec. 203) Deems a person, with respect to defenses to liability of an owner of after-acquired property, to have undertaken appropriate inquiry into the property's previous ownership and uses if the person demonstrates that inquiries were undertaken in accordance with specified requirements (for property purchased after May 31, 1997, compliance with an American Society for Testing and Materials standard until standards are issued by the Administrator). Deems the appropriate inquiry requirements to be satisfied by a facility inspection and title search that reveal no basis for further investigation in the case of property for residential or similar use purchased by a nongovernmental or noncommercial entity. Title III: State Response Programs - Adds CERCLA provisions authorizing the Administrator to provide grants to States or Indian tribes to establish or enhance response programs comprised of elements including survey and inventory of brownfield sites, public participation opportunities, oversight and enforcement authorities, and certification mechanisms. Authorizes appropriations. Restricts authority to take enforcement actions under CERCLA in cases of hazardous substance releases addressed by a State response plan. Authorizes the President to bring enforcement actions in certain instances, including cases where a State requests assistance, there is migration of contamination across State lines or onto Federal property, or there is an imminent and substantial endangerment to public health or welfare or the environment and additional response actions are likely to be necessary. Makes restrictions on the President's authority to take such actions applicable only at sites in States that maintain, update at least annually, and make publicly available a record of sites at which response actions have been completed in the previous year and are planned to be addressed under the State response program in the upcoming year. Applies enforcement action requirements only to response actions conducted after June 8, 2000. (Sec. 302) Requires the President to defer final listing of an eligible response site on the National Priorities List if the State is conducting a response action in compliance with a State response program that will provide long-term health and environmental protection or is actively pursuing an agreement to perform such an action with a capable person. Requires reasonable progress toward completion of actions for deferral of listing. Permits the President to decline to defer, or discontinue a deferral if: (1) deferral would be inappropriate because the State, as an owner, operator, or significant contributor is a potentially responsible party; (2) the criteria under the National Contingency Plan for issuance of a health advisory have been met; or (3) the other conditions under this section for deferral are no longer being met.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2000
Broadband Internet Access Act of 2000 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish the broadband credit which shall be the sum of: (1) the current generation broadband credit; plus; (2) the next generation broadband credit. Defines terms. Requires a study and report.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2000
Calls upon the President to: (1) issue a proclamation recognizing the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Helsinki Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, reasserting the U.S. commitment to full implementation of the Act, and urging all signatory states to abide by their obligations under the Act; and (2) convey to all signatory states that respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, democratic principles, economic liberty, and the implementation of related commitments continue to be vital elements in promoting a new era of democracy, peace, and unity in the region.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2000
Native American Languages Act Amendments Act of 2000 - Amends the Native American Languages Act to authorize the Secretary of Education to provide funds to Native American Language Educational Organizations, Native American Language Colleges, Indian tribal governments, or a consortia of such organizations, colleges, or tribal governments to operate, expand, and increase Native American Language Survival Schools throughout the United States and its territories for Native American children and Native American language-speaking children. Allows a School receiving such funds to: (1) include Native American Language Nest programs and other educational programs for students who are not Native American language speakers but who seek to establish fluency through instruction in such a language or to re-establish fluency as descendants of such language speakers; (2) include a program of concurrent and summer college or university education course enrollment for secondary school students enrolled in Schools; and (3) provide special support for such languages for which there are very few or no remaining speakers. Authorizes the Secretary to provide funds to such entities for the purpose of: (1) developing comprehensive curricula in Native American language instruction and instruction through such languages; (2) developing community Native American language use in communities served by Schools; and (3) providing programs in pre-service and in-service teacher training, staff training, personnel development programs, programs to upgrade teacher and staff skills, and community resource development training that include a component which has as its objective increased Native American language speaking proficiency for teachers and staff employed in Schools and Nests. Authorizes the Secretary to provide to such entities: (1) that have demonstrated excellence in the capacity to operate and administer a School and to ensure the academic achievement of School students funds for endowment funds and the rental, lease, purchase, construction, maintenance, or repair of facilities for Schools; and (2) that demonstrate the potential to become such Organizations funds for establishing Nest programs. Authorizes the Secretary to provide funds to establish two specified demonstration programs that will provide assistance to Schools and Nests at: (1) Ka Haka 'Ula O Ke'elikolani College of the University of Hawaii at Hilo, in consortium with the 'Aha Punana Leo, Inc., and other appropriate entities; and (2) the Alaska Native Language Center of the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, in consortium with other appropriate entities. Authorizes such demonstration programs to employ synchronic and asynchronic telecommunications and other appropriate means to maintain coordination and cooperation with one another and with participating Schools and Nests. Requires such programs to provide direction to the Secretary in developing site visit evaluation of Schools and Nests. Authorizes such programs to: (1) establish endowments for furthering their activities relative to the study and preservation of Native American languages; and (2) use funds to provide for the rental, lease, purchase, construction, maintenance, and repair of facilities. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2000
See summary of: S. 2073
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2000
Imported Products Safety Improvement and Disease Prevention Act of 2000 - Title I: Improvements to the Product Safety Import System - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act) to require any product imported into the United States to be prepared, packaged, and held under a system or conditions, or subject to measures, that meet safety requirements of the Act or that have been determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to be the equivalent to such a system and to achieve the level of public health protection required for products prepared in the United States. Requires the Secretary to develop a system to deny the entry of any product not covered by such a system. Prohibits the distribution of any imported product which has not been authorized by the Secretary. Requires the secure storage or destruction of certain imported products. Prohibits: (1) port shopping of products which have been refused admission; and (2) imports by debarred persons. Title II: Enforcement and Penalties for Importing Contaminated Products - Provides for the enforcement of penalties for the importing of contaminated products, including: (1) increased bonding requirements for prior offenders; and (2) the debarment of repeat and serious offenders. Title III: Improvements to Public Health Infrastructure and Awareness - Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) make grants and provide technical assistance to eligible agencies to carry out activities relating to surveillance and prevention of pathogen- related disease borne in a covered product; and (2) conduct pathogen detection research and development, training, education, and public information.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2000
Commemorates: (1) the loss of the U.S.S. Thresher and her gallant crew of sailors and civilians on April 10, 1963; (2) all submariners on "eternal patrol"; (3) the commitment and sacrifices made by the Naval Submarine Service for the past 100 years in providing for the common defense of the United States; and (4) the 200 years of dedicated service to the U.S. Navy of the workers of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2000
Declares that Congress: (1) needs to pass legislation to set penalties for persons who commit acts of violence against other persons because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability of any person; (2) condemns the culture of hate and the hate groups that foster such violent acts; (3) commends the communities throughout our Nation that are united in condemning such acts of hate in their neighborhoods, and the efforts of Federal, state, and local law enforcement officials; (4) reaffirms its commitment to a society that fully respects and protects all people.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2000
Designates the Washington Opera in Washington, D.C., as the National Opera.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2000
Mental Health Early Intervention, Treatment, and Prevention Act of 2000 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish programs for the treatment of mental illness. Directs the creation of a national anti-stigma and suicide prevention campaign to reduce the stigma often associated with mental illness. Provides for award grants to States, their political subdivisions, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations to train teachers and school personnel to recognize and respond to symptoms of adolescent mental disorders. Authorizes grants to support the designation of emergency mental health centers. Provides for a program of up to 125 grants to develop programs to divert individuals with mental illness from the criminal justice system to community-based services. Establishes grant programs for: (1) reduction of suicide deaths; (2) outreach screening to identify and refer persons with mental illnesses and co- occurring substance abuse disorders; (3) expansion of community-based mental health services; and (4) establishment of centers of excellence on psychological trauma response. Requires establishment, through the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, of a research program to determine factors contributing to noncompliance with outpatient treatment plans and design innovative methods to enhance compliance. Directs the creation of Centers for Excellence in Translational Research, and programs to increase the supply of basic and clinical researchers in the mental health field. Creates a grant program to provide integrated child welfare and mental health services for children and adolescents under age 19 in the child welfare system or at risk of becoming part of the system, and parents or caregivers with mental illness or mental illness and a co-occurring substance abuse disorder. Provides for grants for accredited primary care residency training programs and continuing education programs to identify and refer persons with a mental illness. Establishes a commission to study mental health issues research and develop model State legislation based on such research results. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to direct the Attorney General to make grants for mental health court programs: (1) to provide training of law enforcement and judicial personnel in addressing the unique needs of individuals with a mental illness who come in contact with the criminal justice system; and (2) to coordinate criminal adjudication, supervision, and delivery of mental health treatment for preliminarily qualified individuals. Establishes a mental health screening and treatment grant program for persons in jails and prisons. Directs that grants be made to train State and local law enforcement officers in identification of and resources available to individuals with a mental illness.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2000
WISEWOMAN Expansion Act of 2000- Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to permit the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through a competitive review process, to award grants to States to provide additional specified preventive health services, screenings, education, and referrals under PHSA provisions concerning preventive health measures with respect to breast and cervical cancers. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2000
East Timor Repatriation and Security Act of 2000 - Expresses the sense of Congress to utilize all diplomatic and economic means to press for: (1) safe repatriation to East Timor of all East Timorese in West Timor and elsewhere who wish to return to East Timor; (2) an end to border incidents and infiltration of militias and an end to any other violent actions by militias and the armed forces of the Republic of Indonesia against the people or territory of East Timor; (3) processes and prosecutions leading to justice for victims of violence in East Timor; (4) rapid reconstruction of East Timor, including maximum consultation with and inclusion of local personnel; and (5) a significant increase in employment for East Timorese in all internationally- sponsored reconstruction and United Nations efforts relating to East Timor. Conditions resumption of previously suspended U.S. military cooperation and military assistance for the armed forces of the Republic of Indonesia upon certification by the President that the Government of Indonesia and the Indonesian Armed Forces are: (1) taking effective measures to bring to justice members of the armed forces and militia groups against whom there is credible evidence of human rights violations; (2) taking effective measures to bring to justice members of the armed forces against whom there is credible evidence of aiding or abetting militia groups; (3) allowing displaced persons and refugees to return safely to East Timor; (4) not impeding United Nations Transitional Authority in East Timor; (5) demonstrating a commitment to preventing incursions into East Timor by members of militia groups in West Timor; and (6) cooperating with investigations and prosecutions of Armed Forces and militia group members responsible for human rights violations. Declares that Congress recognizes and salutes members of the United States Armed Forces who have assisted the international peacekeeping operation in East Timor.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2000
Drug-Free Prisons Act of 2000 - Title I: Drug Testing Programs for Prisons - Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to States and units of local government, State and local courts, and Indian tribal governments for programs that support: (1) developing and implementing comprehensive drug testing policies and practices with regard to criminal justice populations; and (2) establishing appropriate interventions to illegal drug use for offender populations. Allows applicants to choose to submit joint proposals with other eligible criminal justice and court agencies for systemic drug testing and intervention programs. Directs the Attorney General to coordinate with the other Department of Justice initiatives that address drug testing and interventions in the criminal justice system. Requires grant applications to: (1) reflect a comprehensive approach that recognizes the importance of collaboration and a continuum of testing, treatment, and other interventions in the criminal justice system; (2) include a long-term strategy and detailed implementation plan; (3) address the applicant's capability to continue the proposed program following the conclusion of Federal support; (4) identify related governmental or community initiatives that complement or will be coordinated with the proposal; (5) certify that there has been appropriate consultation with affected agencies and key stakeholders throughout the criminal justice system and that there will be continued coordination throughout the implementation of the program; and (6) describe the methodology that will be used in evaluating the program. (Sec. 103) Sets forth provisions regarding application procedures, the Federal cost share, geographic distribution of grant awards, and technical assistance, training, and evaluation. Authorizes appropriations, with a set-aside for research and evaluation. Title II: Truth-In-Sentencing Grant Programs - Rewrites provisions of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (VCCLEA) to require: (1) States, to be eligible to receive a violent offender incarceration grant or a truth-in-sentencing incentive grant, to have a program of drug testing and intervention for appropriate categories of convicted offenders during periods of incarceration and criminal justice supervision, with sanctions that may include denial or revocation of release for positive drug tests, no later than December 31, 2000; and (2) beginning in FY 2001 and thereafter, States receiving such grant funds to have a system of sanctions and penalties that address drug trafficking within and into correctional facilities under their jurisdiction, in accordance with guidelines issued by the Attorney General (with provisions mandating a ten percent reduction for each fiscal year for which the Attorney General determines a State is not in compliance, with such funds reallocated to States that do comply). Requires that .75 percent of the funds made available for truth-in-sentencing grants be allocated to each State that meets VCCLEA requirements regarding both such grant programs, except that the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands shall each be allocated .05 percent (with the remainder allocated as currently specified under the VCCLEA). Title III: Reestablishment of Drug Courts - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (Safe Streets Act) to reestablish drug courts. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to States, State and local courts, units of local government, and Indian tribal governments for programs that involve: (1) continuing judicial supervision over offenders with substance abuse problems who are not violent offenders; and (2) the integrated administration of other sanctions and services, including mandatory periodic testing for the use of controlled or other addictive substances during any period of supervised release or probation, substance abuse treatment for each participant, supervised release involving the possibility of prosecution, confinement, or incarceration based on noncompliance with program requirements or failure to show satisfactory progress, and offender management and aftercare services. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) issue regulations or guidelines to ensure that the programs authorized in this part do not permit participation by violent offenders; and (2) immediately suspend funding for any grant under this part, pending compliance, if the Attorney General finds that violent offenders are participating in any program funded under this part. Sets forth provisions regarding administration, applications, the Federal share, geographic distribution, reporting requirements, and technical assistance, training, and evaluation. Authorizes appropriations under the Safe Streets Act, with a set-aside for research and evaluation. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends the Safe Streets Act to: (1) reauthorize the residential substance abuse treatment for prisoners (part S) grant program; (2) allow States that demonstrate that they have existing in-prison drug treatment programs that are in compliance with Federal requirements to use funds awarded under part S for treatment and sanctions both during incarceration and after release; and (3) make exceptions to time limits for drug control and system improvement (Byrne) grants to State and local governments for victim assistance programs, drug and alcohol abuse treatment in prisons and jails, community-based programs for adult and juvenile drug-dependent and alcohol-dependent offenders, monitoring of drug-dependent offenders, certain innovative programs, and providing alternatives to prevent detention, jail, and prison for persons who pose no danger to the community. (Sec. 404) Amends the VCCLEA to: (1) authorize any State or unit of local government which has unexpended funds granted to it under the violent offender incarceration or truth-in-sentencing incentive grant programs for FY 1996 through 2001 to expend not more than 25 percent of such funds for the implementation of graduated sanctions or sentencing alternatives to incarceration, provided that such implementation shall be undertaken by said State or local unit for the purpose of freeing suitable existing prison space for the confinement of persons convicted of part 1 violent crimes; and (2) authorize appropriations for FY 2001 through 2005.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2000
Book Stamp Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a program to promote child literacy and improve children's access to books at home and in early learning and other child care programs, by making books available through early learning and other child care programs. Directs the Secretary to carry out such program by allotting grants to applicant State agencies on the basis of relative amounts received by States under specified provisions of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990. Requires State agencies to use such grants to enter into contracts with local child care resource and referral agencies to carry out program activities. Allows State agencies to reserve up to three percent of grant funds to support a public awareness campaign relating to program activities. Requires local agencies which receive such contracts to use grant funds to provide payments for eligible early learning program and other child care providers, on the basis of local needs, to enable the providers to make books available, to promote child literacy and improve children's access to books at home and in early learning and other child care programs. Sets forth eligibility requirements for program providers, including providing services in an area where children face high risks of literacy difficulties. Requires that the purchase of books with Federal funds under this Act be made on the same terms are customarily available in the book industry to entities carrying out nonprofit bulk book purchase and distribution programs. Amends Federal law relating to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to require USPS to establish special postage stamps for child literacy, at the regular first-class rate plus a differential amount. Makes patron use of such special-rate postage stamp voluntary. Requires the USPS to pay all of certain amounts raised by sales such stamp to HHS for child literacy promotion activities. Expresses the sense of Congress that nothing in this section should: (1) cause a net decrease in total funds received by HHS or any other Federal agency, component, or program; and (2) affect regular first-class or other regular postage rates. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2000
Extends condolences to the families of the 19 members of the U.S. Marine Corps who died in the crash of an MV-22 Osprey aircraft on April 8, 2000, during a training mission in Marana, Arizona. Acknowledges that such members embody the credo of the Marine Corps, "Semper Fidelis." Recognizes with appreciation and respect the loyalty and sacrifice these families have demonstrated in support of the Marine Corps.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2000
Immigration and Naturalization Service Data Management Improvement Act of 2000 - Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 respecting the automated entry-exit control system to: (1) replace the current requirement that information be collected on every entering and exiting alien with the requirement that such system be an integrated entry and exit data system using available data; (2) state that no additional data collection authority is authorized; (3) extend program implementation deadlines; (4) revise reporting provisions; and (5) authorize appropriations. Directs the Attorney General to determine which Department of Justice and other law enforcement personnel may have access to such data. Directs the Attorney General to establish a task force which shall evaluate specified program-related issues. Authorizes appropriations. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretaries of State, Commerce, and the Treasury, should consult with affected foreign governments to improve border management.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2000
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit a political organization from being treated as such unless it gives notice within 24 hours of being established that it is to be so treated. Provides that if notice is given after such period, the organization shall not be so treated for any period before such notice is given. Requires, in the case of an organization failing to give such notice, such organization's taxable income to be computed by taking into account any exempt function income (and any deductions directly connected with the production of such income). Excepts certain organizations from the notification requirement. Makes information on organizations that file such notices, and such notices, publicly available. Prescribes monetary penalties for failures to meet certain public availability requirements. Grants existing organizations to whom this Act applies 30 days after this Act's enactment date to file a notice. Prohibits treating an organization as a political organization unless it makes required disclosures. Makes such disclosures publicly available and prescribes monetary penalties for failures to make disclosures available for inspection. Requires political organizations which have gross receipts of $25,000 or more per taxable year, with an exception, to file tax returns. Provides for public disclosure of such returns and prescribes monetary penalties for failures to file or provide correct information.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2000
Amends titles IV (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) and XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) of the Social Security Act to restore: (1) State authority to transfer up to ten percent of TANF funds to the Social Services Block Grant; and (2) funds for the Social Services Block Grant. Instructs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report annually to Congress on State activities.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2000
Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions regarding tax-exempt organizations to expand the definition of "political organization" to include political committees as defined by the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA). Excepts from such definition: (1) organizations which exist to influence the appointment of any individual to a State, local, or Federal public office, or office in a political organization; (2) a group of persons (other than a separate segregated fund established under FECA) accepting contributions or making expenditures during a calendar year of less than $1,000; or (3) local committees of political parties which are not political committees.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2000
Youth Smoking Prevention and Public Health Protection Act - Title I: Authority of the Food and Drug Administration - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to give the Secretary of Health and Human Services regulatory authority over tobacco products. Makes any advertising that violates this Act or a specified Federal regulation an unfair or deceptive act or practice and a violation of a rule promulgated under the Federal Trade Commission Act. Deems specified existing Federal regulations to be lawful and to have been lawfully promulgated. Imposes tobacco exporting requirements, including that tobacco products meet performance standards and premarket review requirements of this Act even when intended for export. Title II: Tobacco Product Warnings and Smoke Constituent Disclosure - Amends the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act to revise requirements regarding warnings on labeling and advertising of tobacco and smokeless tobacco products. Removes provisions prohibiting States from imposing advertising or promotion requirements or restrictions on cigarettes labeled in conformity with the Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2000
Expresses the sense of the Congress that U.S. policy should: (1) support the restoration of democracy in Burma, including implementation of the results of the 1990 elections; (2) continue to call upon the military regime in Burma known as the State Peace and Development Council to guarantee freedoms of assembly, movement, speech, and the press for all Burmese citizens, to accept a political dialogue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the National League for Democracy, and ethnic leaders to advance peace, to release all detained Members elected to the 1990 parliament and other political prisoners, and to uphold the terms and conditions of all human rights and related resolutions passed by the United Nations General Assembly, the Commission on Human Rights, the International Labor Organization, and the European Union; and (3) sustain current economic and political sanctions against Burma as the appropriate means of securing the restoration of democracy, human rights, and civil liberties and of supporting U.S. national security counternarcotics interests.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2000
Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1998 to allow a new composite theoretical performance level established by the President for high-performance computers subject to certain export controls to take effect 30 (currently 180) days after the President reports to specified congressional committees setting forth the new level and its justification. Applies such revised effective date to any changes to the composite theoretical performance level proposed by the President on or after January 1, 2000.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2000
Medicare Expansion for Needed Drugs (MEND) Act of 2000 - Title I: Prescription Drug Benefit Program - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new part D (Prescription Drug Benefit for the Aged and Disabled) outlining the following program components: (1) establishment of a voluntary insurance program to provide prescription drug benefits for individuals who are aged or disabled or have end-stage renal disease and who elect to enroll under such program, to be financed from enrollee premium payments together with contributions from Federal appropriations; (2) scope of benefits; (3) payment of benefits and benefit limits; (4) eligibility and enrollment; (5) monthly premium rates; (6) creation within the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of the Prescription Drug Insurance Account for payments; (7) administration of benefits through private entities; (8) authorization for the Employer Incentive Program to encourage employers to provide adequate prescription drug benefits to retired individuals and to maintain such existing benefit programs by subsidizing, in part, the sponsor's cost of providing coverage under qualifying plans; and (9) authorization of appropriations to the Account to cover Government contributions. (Sec. 101) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to study and report on the feasibility and advisability of establishing an annual open enrollment period under the new part D program. (Sec. 102) Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to: (1) provide for coverage for certain low-income individuals of part D premiums; (2) require State Medicaid plans to provide that in the case of any individual whose eligibility for medical assistance is not limited to Medicare or Medicare drug cost-sharing, and for whom the State elects to pay monthly premiums under part D, the State will purchase all prescription drugs, without regard to whether the benefit limit for such individual has been reached; (3) require Government payment of Medicare drug cost-sharing for qualified Medicare beneficiaries and for Medicare-eligible individuals with incomes between 100 and 150 percent of the Federal poverty line; and (4) make provisions on payment for covered outpatient drugs inapplicable to prescription drugs purchased under part D pursuant to an agreement with the Secretary under the special eligibility, enrollment, and copayment rules below for low-income individuals. Amends SSA title XVIII part D to outline special eligibility, enrollment, and copayment rules for low-income individuals, which include options for continuation of Medicaid coverage or enrollment under such part. Amends SSA title XIX to remove the sunset date for cost-sharing in Medicare part B premiums for certain qualifying individuals. Repeals provisions on State coverage of Medicare cost-sharing for additional low-income Medicare beneficiaries. (Sec. 103) Directs the Secretary to submit to Congress recommendations on structuring a catastrophic drug benefit for Medicare beneficiaries. Establishes the Catastrophic Prescription Drug Coverage Reserve Fund and makes appropriations to it. (Sec. 104) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for comprehensive immunosuppressive drug Medicare coverage for organ transplant patients. (Sec. 105) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the prescription drug benefit program under part D. (Sec. 106) Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) to take similar action, including an analysis of such program's impact on the pharmaceutical market, franchise, independent, and rural pharmacies, and beneficiary access to prescription drugs. Title II: Enhanced Medicare Prevention Program - Amends SSA title XVIII to direct MEDPAC to report annually to Congress on the actuarial equivalence of Medicare and private sector benefit packages. (Sec. 202) Requires the Director of the National Institute on Aging to conduct studies on improving the quality of life for the elderly, developing better ways to prevent or delay the onset of age-related functional decline and disease among the elderly, and developing means of assessing the long-term development of cost-effective and cost-saving benefits for health promotion and disease among the elderly. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 203) Requires the Secretary to contract with the Institute of Medicine to study and report to the President along with appropriate legislative recommendations for Congress with respect to current literature and best practices in the field of health promotion and disease prevention among Medicare beneficiaries. Provides for fast-track consideration by Congress of such presidential report and accompanying recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2000
Terminates the entitlement to educational assistance for members of the Selected Reserve on the date the member is separated from the Reserve. (Currently, such termination is the earlier of two conditional dates). Provides a conditional date of such entitlement for Selected Reserve members who cease to be such a member during a ten-year period beginning on October 1, 1991, due to Reserve unit deactivation or the involuntary cessation of such Reserve member designation.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2000
Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Act of 2000 - Finds that civilian employees who performed duties in the Department of Energy's nuclear weapons production program over the last 50 years should have efficient, uniform, and adequate compensation for beryllium-related health conditions and radiation-related health conditions in order to assure fairness and equity. Title I: Compensation and Benefits for Illnesses Related to Beryllium Exposure - Directs the Secretary of Labor, for allowed claims, to pay compensation for disability or death, reimburse covered employees for costs and medical expenses, and take other actions regarding exposure to beryllium in the performance of duty. Allows a covered employee or their survivor to elect an alternative compensation of $200,000 plus specified benefits. Establishes the Energy Employees' Beryllium Compensation Fund. Title II: Compensation and Benefits for Illnesses Related to Exposure to Ionizing Radiation, Silica, and Hazardous Substances - Subtitle A: Cancer and Related Illnesses - Directs the Secretary of Labor, for allowed claims, to pay compensation for disability or death, reimburse covered employees for costs and medical expenses, and take other actions regarding exposure to ionizing radiation, a hazardous substance, or silica in the performance of duty. Allows a covered employee or their survivor to elect an alternative compensation of $200,000 plus specified benefits. Subtitle B: Other Illnesses - Allows any covered employee (or their survivor) who can establish that exposure to a hazardous substance at a facility of the Department of Energy (DOE) or of a DOE contractor or uranium vendor was a contributing factor to an illness or disease other than certain illnesses to submit a claim for compensation and benefits under subtitle A. Directs the Secretary of Labor, if the Secretary is unable to make an affirmative claim determination, to refer the claim to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish physicians panels for evaluation of referred claims. Creates an advisory group to establish a list of illnesses and diseases that are presumed to be attributable to work at a facility of the DOE or of a DOE contractor or uranium vendor. Subtitle C: General Provisions - Establishes the Nuclear Employees' Radiation Compensation Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2000
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the Secretary of Education should work with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Veterans Day National Committee, and veterans service organizations to encourage, prepare, and disseminate educational materials and activities for elementary and secondary school students aimed at increasing awareness of the contributions of veterans; and (2) the week that includes Veterans Day should be designated as National Veterans Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2000
Calls for the Government of the Russian Federation to: (1) drop its charges against Andrei Babitsky, a Russian journalist working for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; (2) provide a full accounting of Babitsky's detention; and (3) adhere fully to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Condemns the Russian Federation's harassment and intimidation of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and other news organizations. Urges the Government of the Russian Federation and the President to implement the recommendations in Senate Resolutions 223 and 262. Urges the President to place these issues high on the agenda for his June 4-5 summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2000
Military Health Care Improvements Act of 2000 - Title I: Senior Health Care - Amends the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999 to extend through December 31, 2005, the TRICARE Senior Supplement Program (a demonstration program under which certain Medicare-eligible senior citizens are given medical care and services under TRICARE (a Department of Defense (DOD) managed health care program) for which DOD is reimbursed through the Medicare program). Amends the Social Security Act to extend through the same date a similar demonstration program known as TRICARE Senior Prime. Authorizes the latter program to be offered at major medical centers of DOD (currently limited to six military treatment facilities). (Sec. 103) Amends a demonstration program offering health care coverage to certain military personnel, spouses, and dependents through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program to allow eligible beneficiaries who will be at least 65 years of age on December 31, 2002, to enroll, or extend a previous enrollment, during a three-year period of open enrollment for the year 2003. Extends such demonstration program through December 31, 2005. Repeals the ten-site limit for the program. (Sec. 104) Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to charge an enrollment fee for participation in the TRICARE pharmacy system (a program for providing reduced-cost pharmaceuticals to TRICARE-eligible beneficiaries). Authorizes the Secretary to impose one or more cost-sharing requirements upon such participants. Allows participants to pay required premiums on a monthly or annual basis. Title II: TRICARE Program - Amends the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) relating to medical and dental care provided to certain members and former members of the armed forces to: (1) make eligible for such services members and former members of the Coast Guard when not operating as a service in the Navy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Public Health Service; (2) require coverage for immediate family members of eligible individuals to be comparable to coverage for medical care and standards for timely access to such care under TRICARE Prime; and (3) entitle dependents of members performing duty in remote locations who reside with such member to the same care and waiver of such care under CHAMPUS as the members themselves. (Sec. 202) Prohibits a member from being charged a copayment for care provided under TRICARE Prime to an immediate family member. (Sec. 203) Directs the Secretary to improve certain business practices used when administering the access of eligible persons to health care services through the TRICARE program. Title III: Joint Initiatives With Department of Veterans Affairs - Directs the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs to jointly: (1) prescribe a centralized process for the reporting, compiling, and analysis of errors in the provision of health care under their respective departments that endanger patients beyond the normal risks associated with such care and treatment; and (2) develop a system for the use of bar codes for the identification of pharmaceuticals. Requires the Secretary of Defense to experiment with the use of such bar codes in the current DOD mail order pharmaceuticals demonstration project. Title IV: Other Matters - Directs the Secretary to authorize the following persons to obtain prescription pharmaceuticals from DOD by mail: (1) individuals who are eligible for medical care under CHAMPUS; or (2) individuals who would be so eligible except for also being entitled to hospital insurance benefits under Medicare. Directs the Secretary to prescribe an appropriate fee or copayment for pharmaceuticals so obtained. (Sec. 402) Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000 to limit to $100 million the annual cost limitation for the CHAMPUS individual case management program. (Sec. 403) Directs the Secretary to carry out two studies to assess the feasibility and desirability of financing the military health care program for military retirees on an accrual basis.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2000
Designates August 16, 2000, as National Airborne Day.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2000
Amends Federal law to authorize the payment of rewards to individuals furnishing information relating to persons subject to indictment before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda for serious violations of international humanitarian law in Rwanda.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2000
Designates October 2000 as Children's Internet Safety Month.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2000
Designates the first Sunday in June of each year as National Child's Day.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2000
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the carrying of firearms into places of worship or educational and scholastic settings should be prohibited.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2000
Pope John Paul II Congressional Gold Medal Act - Authorizes the presentation of a gold medal to Pope John Paul II in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to humanity. Authorizes appropriations. Mandates that proceeds from duplicate bronze medal sales be deposited in the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2000
Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area Study Act of 2000 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to study and report to specified congressional committees on the suitability and feasibility of establishing an Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2000
Amends the Energy Conservation and Production Act regarding weatherization assistance program limitations to repeal the mandate that an average of at least 40 percent of the funds provided in a State for weatherization materials, labor, and related matters be spent on weatherization materials. Instructs the Secretary of Energy ( the Secretary) to establish energy audit procedures and techniques. Removes the directive to the Secretary to make such procedures and techniques available to certain States. Raises from $1600 to $2500 the ceiling upon financial assistance expenditures for labor, weatherization materials, and related matters. Expands the scope of weatherization materials to include the cost of making heating and cooling modifications, including replacement. Repeals the directive to the Secretary to establish a separate, average per dwelling unit limitation for dwelling units within specified States. Amends the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000, to repeal the participating State matching requirement for weatherization assistance grants.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2000
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) it is the civic duty of Americans to assist in ensuring the most accurate census possible; and (2) all U.S. residents should complete their census forms.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2000
Commends the accomplishments and unfailing spirit of women in the 20th century. Recognizes the 20th Century as the Century of Women in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2000
Mother Teresa Religious Workers Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the U.S. entry date in order for religious workers to qualify for a special immigrant visa. (Thus making such entry category permanent.)
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2000
Date of Registry Act of 2000 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to extend the admission date for permanent residence for certain aliens, including additional one-year extensions during specified time periods.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2000
Honoring the Navajo Code Talkers Act - Authorizes the President to: (1) present to each of the original twenty-nine Navajo Code Talkers or a surviving family member, on behalf of Congress, a gold medal honoring the Navajo Code Talkers; and (2) award to each man who qualified as a Navajo Code Talker (MOS 642) or a surviving family member a silver medal. Provides that such medals are to express recognition by the United States and its citizens in honoring the Navajo Code Talkers who distinguished themselves in performing a unique, highly successful communications operation that greatly assisted in saving countless lives and in hastening the end of World War II in the Pacific. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2000
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) Libya's refusal to accept responsibility for its role in terrorist attacks against U.S. citizens suggests that the imminent danger to the physical safety of U.S. travelers continues; (2) the Administration should consult fully with Congress in considering policy toward Libya; and (3) the travel ban and all other U.S. restrictions on Libya should not be eased until all cases of American victims of Libyan terrorism have been resolved and the Government of Libya has cooperated fully in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2000
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the Senate Foreign Relations Committee should hold hearings on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); and (2) it should act on CEDAW by July 19, 2000, the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Convention by the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2000
Breast Cancer Research Stamp Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Amends the Stamp Out Breast Cancer Act to extend for an additional two years the authority under which postal patrons may contribute to funding for breast cancer research through the voluntary purchase of certain specially issued U.S. postage stamps.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2000
Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Transplant Patients Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to remove time limitations on the coverage of immunosuppressive drugs for individuals who have received organ transplants. (Current law only provides coverage for such drugs for certain time periods after the transplant procedure.) Applies certain secondary payer requirements with respect to individuals with end stage renal disease without regard to any time limitations in the case of immunosuppressive drugs furnished after this Act's enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2000
Global Health Act of 2000 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to mandate that activities supported in connection with health programs include activities to improve the capacity of developing nations to conduct disease surveillance and prevention programs, and to respond promptly and effectively to disease outbreaks. Authorizes additional appropriations for FY 2001 for specified allocations, including the health and nutrition of children and pregnant women and mothers, voluntary family planning, and the prevention and control of HIV-AIDS and other infectious diseases. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President, acting through the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, should coordinate with specified Federal departments and agencies to ensure that such appropriations are used effectively.