United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2000
Kids 2000 Act - Directs the Attorney General to make grants to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America for the purpose of funding effective after-school technology programs, such as PowerUp, in order to provide: (1) constructive technology-focused activities that are part of a comprehensive program to provide access to technology and technology training to youth during after-school hours, weekends, and school vacations; (2) supervised activities in safe environments for youth; and (3) full-time staffing with teachers, tutors, and other qualified personnel. Directs the Boys and Girls Clubs of America to make sub-awards to local boys and girls clubs authorizing expenditures associated with providing technology programs, including the hiring of teachers and other personnel and the procurement of goods and services, including computer equipment. Sets forth provisions regarding grant eligibility, application requirements, and criteria for making grant awards. Authorizes appropriations. Allows funds to carry out this Act to be derived from the Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2000
Radio Broadcasting Preservation Act of 2000 - Prohibits the Federal Communications Commission from prescribing any rules authorizing the operation of new, low power FM radio stations, or establishing a low power radio service, as currently proposed. Terminates previously prescribed rules which would violate such prohibition and voids licenses issued pursuant to such rules.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2000
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a congressional gold medal to Charles M. Schulz in recognition of his lasting artistic contributions to the Nation and the world. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2000
Next Generation Internet 2000 - Amends the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 to authorize appropriations to carry out the Next Generation Internet Program and Large Scale Networking Program (Federal electronic network research and development programs) for FY 2000 through 2003, including funds for the Department of Defense, the National Security Agency, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Earmarks at least: (1) ten percent of such amounts to fund research grants into the reduction of Internet access service costs to users in geographically remote areas; and (2) five percent of such amounts for grants to institutions of higher education that are Hispanic-serving, Native American, historically Black, or small colleges and universities. Directs the National Academy of Sciences to study and report to specified congressional committees on the extent to which the Internet backbone and infrastructure contribute to the uneven access to Internet-related technologies and services by rural and low-income Americans. Authorizes appropriations for the study.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2000
Stamp Out Domestic Violence Act of 2000 - Amends Federal law to require the Postal Service to establish a special rate of postage for first class mail that is up to 25 percent higher than the regular rate as a voluntary alternative that the public may use to contribute to funding for domestic violence programs. Requires collected amounts to be paid to the Department of Justice. Expresses the sense of the Congress that nothing in this Act should: (1) cause a net decrease in total funds received by the Department or any other Federal agency below the level that would have otherwise been received but for this Act's enactment; or (2) affect first-class or other regular postage rates. Requires special postage stamps to be made available to the public. Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress on the operation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2000
Amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to: (1) extend through FY 2005 the authorization of appropriations for the Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund; and (2) define, for each of FY 2001 through 2005, the discretionary spending limits for the discretionary category and the violent crime reduction category, for purposes of allocations made for discretionary spending under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2000
Amends Federal aviation law to declare that nothing in such law or in the Death on the High Seas Act with respect to additional remedies shall affect any remedy existing at common law or under State law with respect to any injury or death arising out of any aviation incident occurring on or after January 1, 1995.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2000
Know Your Caller Act of 2000 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to make it unlawful for any person or entity making a telephone solicitation to interfere with or circumvent a caller identification service from accessing or providing the call recipient with identifying information about the call. Directs the Federal Communications Commission to prescribe regulations implementing such prohibition. Provides a cause of action for a person or entity, or a State attorney general on behalf of its residents, for violations of such prohibition or regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2000
World Bank AIDS Prevention Trust Fund Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to enter into negotiations with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) or the International Development Association (IDA), their member nations, and other interested parties for the creation of a trust fund which would accept contributions from governments, the private sector, and nongovernmental entities and use them to address the AIDS epidemic in countries eligible to borrow from the IDA. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary for payment to the trust fund. Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on the goals, the programs and projects, and activities, including any vaccination approaches, supported by the trust fund and their effectiveness in reducing the worldwide spread of AIDS.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2000
AIDS Orphans Relief Act of 2000 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize appropriations for the purpose of assisting microcredit programs that serve the very poor, especially women, in communities heavily affected by Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Sets forth certain program requirements. Amends the Agricultural Trade and Development Assistance Act of 1954 to authorize the President to provide food assistance to developing countries in order to assist them in mitigating the effects of AIDS. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2000
Recognizes the 50th anniversary of the Korean War, and expresses the gratitude of the American people for the service of members of the armed forces during such War.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2000
Global AIDS Prevention Act of 2000 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to urge the agency primarily responsible for administering health programs for poor people in developing countries to make HIV/AIDS prevention and care a priority in such programs. Authorizes appropriations. Earmarks 50 percent of such funds for each fiscal year to be used to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2000
American Hospital Preservation Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), as amended by the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 with regard to provisions on the one year sole community hospital payment increase, to reset the applicable percentage increase for FY 2001 and each subsequent fiscal year to the market basket percentage increase for hospitals in all areas for purposes of updating payments to prospective payment system (PPS) hospitals for inpatient hospital services.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2000
Recognizes May 15, 2000, as Peace Officers Memorial Day, in honor of Federal, State, and local law enforcement officers killed or disabled in the line of duty.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2000
Calls on the Government of the People's Republic of China to: (1) immediately release Yongyi Song from imprisonment and drop all charges against him; (2) guarantee in its legal system fair and professional treatment for criminal defense lawyers; and (3) open more criminal proceedings to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2000
Keep Our Promise to America's Military Retirees Act - Includes as an employee, for purposes of Federal provisions authorizing enrollment under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program: (1) a member of the armed forces who began service before June 7, 1956, and retired after a minimum of 20 years of such service or by reason of a service-connected disability; and (2) the surviving widow or widower of such member. Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to provide FEHB coverage to the following eligible beneficiaries: (1) a member or former member entitled to military retired or retainer pay; (2) an unremarried former spouse who was married to a member for at least 20 years, during which such member performed at least 20 years of retirement-creditable military service; (3) a dependent of a deceased qualifying member or former member; (4) a dependent of a living member or former member; and (5) a family member of such member. Repeals a provision prohibiting coverage under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services for persons entitled to hospital insurance benefits under part A of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1999
Milton Friedman Congressional Gold Medal Act - Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of the Congress, a gold medal to Milton Friedman in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to individual freedom and opportunity in American society through his exhaustive research and teaching of economics and his extensive writings on economics and public policy. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates of such national medal. Requires proceeds to be deposited in the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1999
First-time Homebuyer Affordability Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make the tax on prohibited transactions inapplicable to a qualified home equity participation arrangement (one in which up to $10,000 in an individual retirement plan is used to acquire an ownership interest in a dwelling unit that is to be used as the principal residence for a first-time homebuyer). Requires such ownership interest to be a fee interest requiring full repayment. Defines "first-time homebuyer" as an individual on whose behalf an individual retirement plan is established (eligible participant) or a family member (child, parent, or grandparent) who had no present ownership interest in a principal residence during the 36-month period before the date of the arrangement. Allows the use of amounts in an individual retirement plan to make loans of up to $10,000 to purchase a home for a first-time homebuyer on behalf of an eligible participant or a family member. Prohibits a related interest deduction. Requires repayment within 15 years.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1999
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the Senate Foreign Relations Committee should hold hearings on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); and (2) the Senate should act on CEDAW by March 8, 2000, International Women's Day.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1999
Declares that the Senate: (1) recognizes the contribution of older persons to their communities; and (2) commends the work of organizations that participate in programs assisting older persons and that promote the goals of the International Year of Older Persons.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 1999
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State should: (1) take effective measures to ensure that U.S. assistance and exports of equipment to Mexican security forces are used primarily for counter-narcotics purposes and are not provided to units that have been implicated in human rights violations, unless the Government of Mexico (the Government) is taking effective measures to bring the individuals responsible to justice; (2) encourage the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) and the Government to take steps to create conditions for good faith negotiations that address the social, economic, and political causes of the conflict in Chiapas, to achieve a peaceful and lasting resolution of the conflict, and to vigorously pursue such negotiations; (3) commend the Government for its renewed commitment to negotiations and for establishing a date for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit Mexico to discuss human rights concerns; (4) give a higher priority in discussions with the Government to criminal justice reforms that protect human rights; and (5) urge the Government to implement the recommendations of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 1999
Refugee Protection Act of 1999 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act with respect to refugee provisions to limit summary inspection procedures to emergency migration situations in which numbers of arriving aliens substantially exceed inspection capacities. Grants the Attorney General sole authority to make such determination, which shall last 90 days unless extended after consultation with the appropriate congressional committees. Revises provisions respecting inspection of aliens seeking U.S. admission, including requiring: (1) an alien to be informed of certain rights prior to removal or withdrawal of his or her admission application, and (2) review of a removal order by an immigration judge, with the right of the alien to personally appear and be represented (at his or her expense). Exempts from expedited removal procedures aliens fleeing countries with poor human rights record, as determined by the Attorney General. Revises the procedure used to determine whether an applicant for asylum has a credible fear of persecution. Authorizes (currently requires) the Attorney General to detain asylum applicants pending claims resolution. Repeals a specified limitation on judicial review of alien admissions. Provides, with respect to asylum applicants, for an exception to the filing deadline or a permitted second filing after a rejection upon a showing of good cause.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 1999
Firefighter Investment and Response Enhancement (FIRE) Act - Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to authorize the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to: (1) make grants on a competitive basis for protecting the health and safety of the public and firefighting personnel against fire and fire-related hazards; and (2) provide assistance for specified fire prevention programs (requiring at least ten percent of grant funds to be used for such programs). Provides a program priority for organizations that focus on prevention of injuries to children from fire. Requires: (1) ten percent non-Federal matching funds; (2) each grantee to report to the Director on grant uses; and (3) grants to be made to a variety of recipients, including paid and volunteer firefighters and urban, suburban, and rural. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2000 through 2005.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 1999
John H. Chafee Environmental Education Act of 1999 - Amends the National Environmental Education Act to rename it the John H. Chafee Environmental Education Act (the Act). (Sec. 2) Requires the Office of Environmental Education (OEE), within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to: (1) develop and support balanced and scientifically sound programs; and (2) provide for implementation of the Act through the headquarters and regional offices of the EPA. Eliminates provisions for: (1) OEE administration of environmental internship and fellowship programs (internship programs are eliminated and fellowship program administration is transferred elsewhere later in this Act); (2) an OEE Director who is a member of the Senior Executive Service; and (3) a minimum of six full-time equivalent employees on the OEE headquarters staff (retains the maximum of ten). Authorizes the EPA Administrator to carry out OEE activities directly or through awards of grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts. (Sec. 3) Revises provisions for environmental education grants to decrease from 25 to 15 percent the portion of grant funds which must be used for grants of $5,000 or less. Prohibits environmental education grants from being used to support lobbying activities. Requires the EPA Science Advisory Board to review and approve the guidance before the EPA Administrator issues any guidance to grant applicants. (Sec. 4) Establishes the John H. Chafee Memorial Fellowship Program for the award and administration of five annual one-year graduate education fellowships in environmental sciences. (Eliminates provisions for OEE-administered environmental internships and fellowships.) Provides that such Fellowships are to stimulate innovative graduate level study and the development of expertise in complex, relevant, and important environmental issues and effective approaches to addressing those issues through organized programs of guided independent study and environmental research. Requires each $25,000 Fellowship to be made available to individual candidates through a sponsoring institution of higher education and an annual competitive selection process. Requires each Fellowship to focus on: (1) effective land and resource management; (2) innovative open space preservation; (3) science associated with such worldwide issues as global climate change and sustainable marine resources; or (4) any other issue that a sponsoring institution determines to be appropriate. Requires annual awards of two Fellowships by the University of Rhode Island. Allows three annual Fellowships to be applied for through any other sponsoring institution. Directs the National Environmental Learning Foundation (as renamed in this Act) to establish and administer the John H. Chafee Fellowship Panel to establish selection process criteria, receive and review applications, and select Fellowship recipients. Requires that Panel members with specified qualifications be appointed by a majority vote of the National Environmental Education Advisory Council. Directs the Foundation to make specified amounts available for such Fellowships and administrative expenses of the Fellowship Program. (Sec. 5) Revises provisions for national environmental education awards. Retains and revises provisions for: (1) President's Environmental Youth Awards; and (2) environmental education awards for elementary and secondary school teachers and their local educational agencies. (Eliminates provisions for awards named for Theodore Roosevelt, Henry David Thoreau, Rachel Carson, and Gifford Pinchot.) (Sec. 6) Revises provisions for the National Environmental Education Advisory Council and for the Federal Task Force on Environmental Education. Directs the EPA Administrator to appoint at least one Advisory Council member to represent each of the following sectors: (1) elementary schools and secondary schools; (2) colleges and universities; (3) not-for-profit organizations involved in environmental education; (4) State departments of education and natural resources; (5) business and industry; and (6) senior citizens. Revises requirements for Advisory Council meetings and reports. Opens membership on the Task Force to representatives of any Federal agency actively engaged in environmental education. (Sec. 7) Renames the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation as the National Environmental Learning Foundation. Increases the number of director's on the Foundation's Board. Allows the Foundation to acknowledge receipt of donations by listing the names of donors in materials it distributes, but prohibits such acknowledgment from: (1) appearing in educational material presented to students; or (2) identifying a donor by means of a logo, letterhead, or other corporate commercial symbol, slogan, or product. Eliminates a time limit on the EPA Administrator's provision of administrative services and support to the Foundation. (Sec. 8) Extends through FY 2005 the authorization of appropriations to EPA to carry out the Act, with specified portions for: (1) OEE activities; (2) the environmental education and training program; (3) environmental education grants; and (4) Foundation activities. Directs the EPA Administrator to submit an annual report to Congress on the activities for which such funds were expended.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 1999
Vietnam Veterans Recognition Act of 1999 - Authorizes the American Battle Monuments Commission to place within the Vietnam Veterans Memorial a plaque to honor Vietnam veterans who died after service in the Vietnam War, but as a direct result of such service, and whose names are not otherwise eligible for placement on the Memorial wall.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 1999
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Conservation Act of 1999 - Prohibits any person from engaging in pelagic longline fishing in the: (1) Atlantic Conservation Zone for Highly Migratory Species (HMS); (2) Gulf of Mexico Conservation Zone for Swordfish from January 1 through Memorial Day; and (3) Gulf of Mexico Conservation Zone for HMS from Memorial Day through Labor Day for the next four years. Provides the geographic coordinates for each Zone. Makes such restrictions inapplicable to longline fishery research authorized by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary). (Sec. 7) Directs the Secretary to conduct a voluntary Pelagic Longline Vessel Permit Holder Compensation Program, under which vessels prohibited from engaging in such commercial fishing are compensated for fish catch losses. Identifies eligible vessels. Terminates vessel eligibility if the vessel or any Federal fishing permit or license applicable to that vessel is transferred to a different person after November 10, 1999. Requires notification of each eligible permit holder. Provides a compensation (buyout) amount of $125,000 plus either: (1) zero for any eligible holder that did not report any landings (catches) of HMS for the period between January 1 and October 1, 1999; or (2) for every other eligible holder, a landing payment determined by the Secretary. Provides for payment determination and prohibits such payment from exceeding $325,000. Outlines provisions concerning the buyout offer and its acceptance. Authorizes the Secretary to provide up to $10 million for such payments through a direct loan obligation for any payments not fully paid for by appropriated funds. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 8) Requires the revocation of all commercial fishing permits or licenses held by those accepting payments under this Act, prohibiting such vessels from being used anywhere in the world for commercial fishing. Prohibits the foreign transfer or registry of such vessels. Provides criminal and civil penalties for violations of this section, including seizure and forfeiture. Requires revocation information to be recorded in the Federal vessel identification system maintained by the Secretary of Transportation. (Sec. 9) Establishes a fishery conservation fee system, administered by the Secretary, for repayment of direct loans made under this Act. Provides fee amounts and payment requirements, including fees required from commercial Atlantic swordfish dealers. States that a vessel registered in an affected State (South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas) shall not be required to purchase a Federal fishery conservation permit if such State, within 240 days after the enactment of this Act, makes a binding agreement to pay fully, within four years, that State's recreational share allocation, plus associated interest. Provides State share allocations. Directs the Secretary to issue for $25 each an annual fishery conservation permit to vessels over 18 feet in length wishing to engage in recreational HMS fishing in any area closed to commercial fishing under this Act. Prohibits any such vessels without permits from engaging in such fishing. (Sec. 10) Considers a person violating this Act to also have committed an act prohibited under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. (Sec. 11) Establishes within the National Marine Fisheries Service at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center a Pelagic Longline Billfish Bycatch and Mortality Reduction Research Program to identify and test a variety of fishing gear configurations and uses for reducing billfish bycatch mortality in the pelagic longline fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico and in the exclusive economic zone north of the Atlantic Conservation Zone established by this Act. Requires observers to be placed on such vessels for monitoring purposes. Provides for Program design, monitoring by the Secretary, and reports to specified congressional committees. (Sec. 12) Prohibits interim regulations (with exceptions) by the Secretary prior to such report with respect to any time-area closures for pelagic longline fishing in the Atlantic by U.S. fishing vessels that are in addition to, or expand, regulations established by this Act. (Sec. 13) Prohibits, after the 165th day of enactment of this Act, any pelagic longline vessel from operating within the Atlantic HMS fishery without a vessel monitoring device approved by the Secretary. States that vessels accepting buyouts under this Act will not be required to carry such a device. (Sec. 15) Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 1999
Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2000 - Prohibits the President from prohibiting or regulating travel to or from Cuba by U.S. citizens or lawful resident aliens, including specified transactions ordinarily incident to such travel, financial or otherwise. Declares that nothing in this Act shall authorize the importation into the United States of any goods for personal consumption acquired in Cuba.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 1999
High-Speed Rail Investment Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a limited tax credit to holders of a qualified Amtrak bond. Sets forth definitions, State matching requirements, and other rules.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 1999
Interstate Transportation of Dangerous Criminals Act of 1999 or Jeanna's Act - Directs the Attorney General to promulgate regulations relating to the transportation of violent prisoners in or affecting interstate commerce which shall include: (1) minimum standards and requirements for employees and potential employees of private prisoner transport companies; (2) prisoner clothing and restraint requirements; and (3) immediate notification of appropriate law enforcement officials in the event of a prisoner escape during transportation. Provides civil penalties for the violation of such regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 1999
National Police Athletic League Youth Enrichment Act of 1999 - Directs the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs of the Department of Justice, for each of FY 2000 through 2004, to award a grant to the Police Athletic League (PAL) for the purposes of establishing PAL chapters to serve public housing projects and other distressed areas and expanding existing chapters to serve additional youths. Requires PAL, in order to be eligible to receive a grant, to submit to the Assistant Attorney General an application which shall include: (1) a long-term strategy to establish 250 additional chapters and a detailed summary of those areas in which new chapters will be established, or in which existing chapters will be expanded to serve additional youths, during the next fiscal year; (2) a plan to ensure that there are a total of not less than 570 chapters in operation before January 1, 2003; (3) a certification that there will be appropriate coordination with those communities where new chapters will be located; and (4) an explanation of the manner in which new chapters will operate without additional, direct Federal financial assistance once assistance under this Act is discontinued. Directs the Assistant Attorney General to review, and take action on, an application within 120 days after the date of submission. (Sec. 6) Directs that amounts made available under a grant awarded under this Act be used by the PAL to provide funding for the establishment of PAL chapters serving public housing projects and other distressed areas, or the expansion of existing PAL chapters. Requires that each new or expanded PAL chapter assisted carry out not less than four programs during non-school hours, of which: (1) not less than two programs shall provide mentoring assistance, academic assistance, recreational and athletic activities, or technology training; and (2) any remaining programs shall provide drug, alcohol, and gang prevention activities; health and nutrition counseling; cultural and social programs; conflict resolution training, anger management, and peer pressure training; job skill preparation activities; or Youth Police Athletic League Conferences or Youth Forums. (Sec. 7) Sets forth reporting requirements. (Sec. 8) Authorizes appropriations. Sets aside specified percentages of grant sums for research and evaluation, technical assistance, and management and administration.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 1999
Calls for the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend and the Postal Service to issue a commemorative postage stamp in honor of the 200th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. naval shipyards.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 1999
John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System Act - Redesignates the Coastal Barrier Resources System as the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 1999
Declares that Congress: (1) deplores the slaying of the Prime Minister of Armenia, Vazgen Sargsian, the Chairman of the Armenian Parliament, Karen Demirchian, the Deputy Chairman of the Armenian Parliament, Yuri Bakhshian, the Minister of Operative Issues, Leonard Petrossian, and other members of the Armenian Government; (2) strongly shares the determination of the Armenian people that the perpetrators will be swiftly brought to justice so that Armenia may demonstrate its resolute opposition to acts of terror; (3) commends the efforts of the late Prime Minister and the Armenian Government for their commitment to democracy and the rule of law and for supporting free market movements internationally; and (4) continues to cherish the strong friendship between Armenia and the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 1999
Veterans Claims and Appeals Procedures Clarification and Improvement Act - Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to: (1) emphasize that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs must assist a veteran in developing all facts pertinent to a veterans' claim for compensation or benefits; (2) make the current veterans' claims adjudication and hearing procedures exclusive with respect to hearings, investigations, and other proceedings in connection with the consideration of a claim; (3) preclude the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims from entertaining any allegation of error by the Secretary in a decision which was not raised by the appellant or the Court; and (4) require such Court to set aside a previous finding of material fact not reasonably supported by a preponderance of the evidence (currently, when clearly erroneous).
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 1999
Hunger Relief Act of 1999 - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to remove specified restrictions on qualified aliens' eligibility for food stamp and supplemental security income benefits. Exempts food stamp provisions respecting aliens from: (1) the five-year waiting period for Federal means-tested public benefits eligibility; (2) inclusion of sponsor income and resources to an alien for State benefits eligibility; and (3) sponsor reimbursement requirements in cases of hardship. Sets forth effective dates for: (1) aliens; and (2) refugees and asylees. (Sec. 3) Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to authorize a State to use an alternative State auto valuation rather than the Federal one in order to provide a lower household resource attribution for food stamp program purposes. (Sec. 4) Increases, and indexes for inflation, the food stamp excess shelter deduction. (Sec. 5) Amends the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to authorize additional appropriations for commodity purchases under the emergency food assistance program.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 1999
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the June 30, 1999, termination date for the research tax credit. Increases by one percent the alternative incremental tax credit for qualified research. Extends such credit to qualified research performed after December 31, 1999, in Puerto Rico or any other U.S. possession.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 1999
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to temporarily suspend, through December 31, 2004, the duty on instant print film for color photography.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 1999
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to provide for local family information centers. Revises ESEA title I (Helping Disadvantaged Students Meet High Standards) part E (Federal Evaluations, Demonstrations, and Transition Projects) to authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants to, and enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with, local nonprofit parent organizations to support local family information centers that help ensure that parents of students in schools assisted under title I part A (Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local Educational Agencies) have the training, information, and support they need to be able to participate effectively in helping their children to meet challenging State standards. Sets forth requirements for center activities, applications, and eligibility. Directs the Secretary to: (1) make at least two awards of assistance under this Act to a local nonprofit parent organization in each State, if the applications are of sufficient quality; (2) select such organizations so as to ensure provision of the most effective assistance to low-income parents of students in schools assisted under part A that are located in high poverty rural and urban areas in the State, with particular emphasis on rural and urban geographic areas with high school dropout rates, high percentages of limited English proficient students, or geographic areas with schools identified for school improvement or corrective action; and (3) evaluate and report on assisted centers. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 1999
Food and Medicine for the World Act - Prohibits the President from imposing a unilateral agricultural sanction or unilateral medical sanction against a foreign country, except in specified circumstances, unless: (1) not less than 60 days before the sanction is proposed to be imposed, the President makes a specified report to Congress; and (2) Congress enacts a joint resolution approving the report.
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