United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1998
Expresses the sense of the Congress that trafficking: (1) consists of all acts involved in the recruitment or transportation of persons within or across borders involving deception, coercion or force, abuse of authority, debt bondage or fraud, for the purpose of placing persons in situations of abuse or exploitation; and (2) involves kidnapping, false imprisonment, rape, battering, forced labor, or slavery-like practices which violate fundamental human rights. Urges the Department of Justice Office of Violence Against Women to report to the Congress on: (1) efforts to identify instances of trafficking of persons into the United States within the last five years; (2) the successes or difficulties experienced in promoting interagency cooperation, cooperation between local, State, and Federal authorities, and cooperation with nongovernmental organizations; (3) the treatment and services provided and the disposition of trafficking cases in the criminal justice system; and (4) legal and administrative barriers to more effective governmental responses. Urges that trafficking victims be provided with support services and incentives to testify. Calls on the Secretary of State to: (1) develop curricula and conduct training for consular officers on the prevalence and risks of trafficking and the rights of victims; and (2) develop and disperse to visa seekers written materials describing the potential risks of trafficking. Commends the Department of State and the European Union for their joint initiative to promote awareness of the problem of trafficking throughout countries of origin in Eastern Europe and the independent states of the former Soviet Union. Urges their continued efforts to engage in similar programs in other regions and to ensure that the dignity and human rights of trafficking victims are protected in destination countries. Calls for: (1) the State Department's Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs to continue to provide and expand funding to support criminal justice training programs which include trafficking; and (2) the President's Interagency Council on Women to report to the Congress regarding implementation by the Secretary of State and the Attorney General of the duties described in this resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1998
Public School Modernization Act of 1998 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise current incentives for education zones into incentives for qualified public school modernization bonds, including (currently existing) qualified zone academy bonds and (newly established) qualified school construction bonds. Allows a limited tax credit, computed according to a specified formula, to taxpayers holding such public school modernization bonds. Raises the national zone academy bond limitation from $400 million to $1.4 billion for calendar 1999 (and 2000), and eliminates the limitation after 2000. Prescribes requirements for national qualified school construction bonds, with a national limitation of $9.7 billion each for calendar 1999 and 2000 and no limit after 2000.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1998
Designates the Department of Housing and Urban Development headquarters at 451 Seventh Street, SW, Washington, D.C., as the Robert C. Weaver Federal Building.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1998
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) it should be U.S. policy to support Israel's efforts to enter an appropriate United Nations (UN) regional group; (2) the President should instruct the U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN to carry out this policy; (3) the United States should insist that any effort to reform the UN, including the Security Council, also resolve this anomaly and should ensure that the principle of sovereign equality be upheld without exception; and (4) the Secretary of State should submit a report to the Congress on the steps taken by the United States, the UN Secretary General, and others to help secure Israel's membership in an appropriate UN regional group.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1998
Recognizes and celebrates 1998 as the 150th anniversary of the Women's Rights Movement and March 1998 as National Women's History Month under the theme "Living the Legacy of Women's Rights."
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1998
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the United States, at the annual meeting of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, should introduce and make all efforts necessary to pass a resolution criticizing the People's Republic of China for its human rights abuses in China and Tibet.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1998
Urges the President to: (1) call for the creation of a United Nations (UN) commission to establish an international record of the criminal culpability of Saddam Hussein and other Iraqi officials; (2) call for the UN to form an international criminal tribunal for the purpose of indicting, prosecuting, and imprisoning Hussein and other Iraqi officials who are responsible for crimes against humanity, genocide, and other international law violations; and (3) seek, upon the creation of such a tribunal, the reprogramming of necessary funds to support the tribunal's efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1998
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) it should be U.S. policy to support Israel's efforts to enter an appropriate United Nations (UN) regional group; (2) the President should instruct the U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN to carry out this policy; (3) the United States should insist that any effort to reform the UN, including the Security Council, also resolve this anomaly and should ensure that the principle of sovereign equality be upheld without exception; and (4) the Secretary of State should submit a report to the Congress on the steps taken by the United States, the UN Secretary General, and others to help secure Israel's membership in an appropriate UN regional group.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1998
Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to repeal joint and several liability of spouses with respect to joint returns. Provides instead that the tax liability shall be in proportion to the tax liability which each spouse would have incurred if each had reported his or her apportionable items on a separate return of a married individual, provided that a payment by one spouse in excess of such spouse's proportionate share of liability for the tax reported on the return shall not be refunded unless there is an overpayment with respect to that return. Revises IRC provisions concerning community property to disregard, for purposes of determining tax liability, community property laws.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1998
Wetlands and Wildlife Enhancement Act of 1998 - Amends the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and the Partnerships for Wildlife Act to extend the authorization of appropriations to carry out such Acts through FY 2003.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1998
Expresses the sense of the Senate that March 2, 1998, shall be known as Read Across America Day, in honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday. Encourages reading with children on that day.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1998
Women's Rights National Historic Trail Act of 1998 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to study and report to specified congressional committees on alternatives for establishing a national historic trail commemorating and interpreting the history of women's rights in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1998
Economic Development Partnership Act of 1998 - Amends the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (the Act) to direct the Secretary of Commerce to cooperate with States and other entities to assure that Federal economic development programs are compatible with and further the objectives of State, regional, and local economic development plans and comprehensive economic development strategies. Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide appropriate technical assistance to such entities in order to alleviate economic distress, encourage partnerships for economic development strategies, and stimulate modernization and technological advances in the generation and commercialization of goods and services; and (2) prescribe regulations for intergovernmental review of proposed economic development projects. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into appropriate economic development agreements with two or more adjoining States. Authorizes the Secretary to appoint a National Public Advisory Committee on Regional Economic Development to make recommendations to the Secretary, including regarding the coordination of activities. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible recipients (defined later under this Act) for acquisition or development of land improvements for public works, public service, or development facility usage, as well as the acquisition, design and engineering, construction, rehabilitation, alteration, expansion, or improvement of such facilities. Provides assistance conditions relating to the establishment of industrial or commercial plants and the increase of employment in the area. Prohibits more than 15 percent of the appropriations made for such assistance from being expended in any one State. Allows grants to be increased due to construction cost increases. Authorizes the Secretary to make direct grants for economic development planning and related administrative expenses. Requires such planning to be a continuous process and to be prepared as part of a comprehensive economic development strategy for the area involved. Requires State certification of an economic development plan's consistency with local and economic development district plans. Provides a Federal cost-share limit of 50 percent of project costs. Authorizes the Secretary to make supplementary grants for a project for which the applicant is eligible but for which the applicant cannot supply the required matching share. Provides supplementary grant conditions and requirements, authorizing the Secretary to reduce or waive the required non-Federal share in such cases. Authorizes the Secretary to make direct grants for training, research, and technical assistance for alleviating or preventing conditions of excessive unemployment or underemployment. Allows such grants to include amounts for relocation assistance. Authorizes the Secretary to make direct grants for public facilities, public services, business development, planning, technical assistance, training and other assistance which demonstrably furthers the economic adjustment objectives of the Act. Allows such grant to be used in either direct expenditures by the recipient or through redistribution to other public and private entities, but prohibits any such redistribution to a private profit-making entity. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) approve the use of grant funds for projects the scope or purpose for which changes after the grant has been made; (2) use funds for projects constructed for less than the projected costs to improve such projects; and (3) make assistance available for projects to be carried out at a military or Department of Energy installation. Prohibits any assistance under the Act which would produce unfair commercial competition. Requires reports from grant and assistance recipients. Defines as an eligible recipient for purposes of this Act an area that: (1) has a per capita income of 80 percent or less of the national average or an unemployment rate one percent above such average; (2) has experienced or is about to experience a sudden economic dislocation resulting in significant job losses; (3) is a community or neighborhood which has a large concentration of low-income individuals, substantial out-migration, or substantial unemployment; (4) has long-term economic deterioration; (5) has a special need to meet an expected rise in unemployment; (6) contains a population of 250,000 or less with growth potential; or (7) is experiencing severe out-migration. Requires from recipients: (1) documentation of meeting such criteria; and (2) evidence of a comprehensive economic development strategy which identifies the economic problems to be addressed through such assistance, as well as related information. Authorizes the Secretary, in order to plan and carry out economic development projects of broader geographic significance, to designate appropriate economic development districts and economic development centers within such districts. Provides geographic, population, and other requirements with respect to each such designation. Directs the Secretary to prescribe standards for the termination of such districts and centers. Authorizes the Secretary to increase by up to ten percent of project costs the amount of grant assistance otherwise provided in the Act for projects within designated districts. Requires each designated district to provide to the Appalachian Regional Commission a copy of such district's comprehensive economic development strategy. Authorizes the Secretary to provide assistance to a district area which does not meet the requirements of an eligible recipient under the Act when such assistance will be of substantial direct benefit to a qualifying area in such district. Directs the Secretary to administer this Act with the assistance of an Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. Directs the Secretary to serve as a central information clearinghouse on all matters relating to economic development and adjustment, disaster recovery, and defense conversion programs and activities of Federal and State governments and to help applicants for such assistance. Requires appropriate consultation with other persons and agencies. Authorizes the Secretary to furnish procurement divisions of the Federal Government with a list of business firms located in distressed areas which desire Government supplies and services contracts. Imposes penalties upon persons who: (1) make false statements in order to obtain assistance under the Act; and (2) embezzle or commit other fraud-related crimes while connected in any capacity with the Secretary in the administration of the Act. Sets forth: (1) conflict-of-interest provisions; and (2) recordkeeping requirements for the Secretary and recipients regarding assistance under this Act. Provides that assistance under the Act shall supplement and not supplant other Federal assistance. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2002. Authorizes additional appropriations for defense conversion activities and disaster economic recovery activities.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Healthy Kids Trust Fund Subtitle A: General Provisions Subtitle B: Payments Title II: FDA Jurisdiction Over Tobacco Products Title III: Youth Smoking Reduction Targets and Incentives to Reduce Youth Smoking Rates Title IV: Tobacco Transition Assistance Fund Title V: Standards to Reduce Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke Title VI: Public Health and Other Programs Subtitle A: Research Programs Subtitle B: Education and Prevention Programs Subtitle C: Miscellaneous Programs Title VII: Liability Protection; Consent Decrees; National Protocol Subtitle A: Liability Protection and Attorney Fees Subtitle B: Consent Decrees Subtitle C: National Tobacco Control Protocol Title VIII: Miscellaneous Provisions Title IX: Provisions Relating to Native Americans Healthy Kids Act - Title I: Healthy Kids Trust Fund - Subtitle A: General Provisions - (Sec. 101) Establishes the Health Enhancement and Lowered Tobacco Hazards for Young Kids Trust Fund (HEALTHY Kids Trust Fund)(Fund). Appropriates to the Fund the initial payment under section 102 of this Act and 75 percent of annual assessments under section 102, fines or penalties under section 103, and amounts repaid or recovered under title III. Authorizes appropriations to the Fund as repayable advances. Makes specified percentages of Fund amounts available without further appropriation for carrying out provisions of this Act, for the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, and for reducing the Federal debt subject to limit. Excludes amounts for the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and the debt from consideration for the Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, and House Concurrent Resolution 67 of the 104th Congress. (Sec. 102) Requires each tobacco product manufacturer (including repackers, labelers, and relabelers) to pay annually to the Fund amounts based on that manufacturer's stock market capitalization as compared to the average stock market capitalization of all manufacturers. Mandates annual assessments on each manufacturer based on the number of specified products removed during the year. Provides for floor stock treatment. Makes the initial capitalization-based payment and any penalties under title III not tax deductible. Amends the Federal bankruptcy code regarding the priority of unsecured Federal claims for payments, assessments, or penalties to be paid into the Fund. Prohibits manufacturers from using any liability insurance to make payments into the Fund. Mandates regulations regarding placing a Healthy Kids Stamp on each tobacco product package for which an assessment has been paid. Exempts a manufacturer who has consent decrees with more than 25 States before 1998 from the initial payment and certain portions of annual payments. (Sec. 103) Establishes a tobacco manufacturer licensing program. Requires a manufacturer or importer to be licensed to manufacture, distribute, or import tobacco products and to be eligible for protections under subtitle A of title VII. Mandates, for assessment nonpayment, manufacturer and importer license ineligibility and license revocation or suspension. (Sec. 104) Imposes a minimum monetary penalty for noncompliance with section 102. Subtitle B: Payments - Chapter 1: To States - Requires that funds under section 101 be made available to reimburse each eligible State for: (1) State expenditures under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act for the treatment of individuals with tobacco-related conditions; (2) other State expenses incurred in providing treatment for tobacco-related conditions; and (3) providing funds to local governments. Requires States, in order to receive the funds, to: (1) agree to resolve any State civil action against a tobacco manufacturer, distributor, or retailer; (2) submit a plan regarding payments to local governments; and (3) have procedures to provide an equitable portion of the funds to local government entities for the local entities' tobacco-related health costs. Chapter 2: Federal Health Programs - Establishes the National Institutes of Health Trust Fund for Health Research (Research Fund), transferring to it amounts made available under section 101. Sets forth the portions of Research Fund amounts to be used for specified purposes. Chapter 3: Investments for Children - Requires use of amounts under section 101: (1) working through the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990, to improve child care, early childhood development, school-aged care, parent education and supportive services, health services, and services for children with disabilities; and (2) for grants to State and local educational agencies to train, recruit, and hire elementary school teachers, thus reducing average class size for certain grades. (Sec. 133) Amends Medicaid provisions regarding presumptive eligibility for children to include in the definition of "qualified entity" elementary or secondary schools, child care resource and referral agencies, and agencies authorized to determine child eligibility for health assistance under title XXI (Children's Health Insurance) of the Social Security Act. Modifies requirements regarding certain Medicaid expenditures that are counted against individual State allotments. Allows an alien who lawfully entered the United States after August 22, 1996, to be eligible for child health assistance under title XXI and Medicaid, notwithstanding the five-year means-tested public benefit waiting period or any other provision of law. Declares that a State does not have the authority to determine the Medicaid eligibility of a qualified alien. Makes the above amendments of this section effective as if they had been included in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Mandates a performance bonus payment to each State relating to increases in the number of Medicaid-enrolled children. (Sec. 134) Mandates a demonstration project providing for payment under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act of routine patient care costs that are provided to an individual with cancer and enrolled in Medicare as part of the individual's participation in a clinical trial and that are not otherwise eligible for Medicare payment. Requires use of amounts available under section 101 to carry out this section. Title II: FDA Jurisdiction Over Tobacco Products - Deems specified regulations to have been promulgated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) as amended by this title. (Sec. 203) Amends the FDCA to include nicotine in tobacco products in the definition of "drug" and tobacco product delivery components in the definition of "device." Authorizes regulation of any tobacco product as a drug, device, or both. Deems tobacco misbranded if it: (1) states or implies that it presents a reduced health risk unless the product will achieve the best public health result; or (2) violates the FDCA or its regulations. Makes noncompliance with specified provisions added to the FDCA by this Act a prohibited act under the FDCA. Makes provisions preempting State and local requirements inapplicable to tobacco product devices. (Sec. 204) Exempts tobacco products from device Class II special controls if the Secretary of Health and Human Services finds that special controls will achieve the best public health result. Declares that, for the purposes of listed provisions, the safety and effectiveness of a tobacco product device need not be found if the action to be taken under any such provision would achieve the best public health result. Authorizes a tobacco product recall if the best public health result would be achieved. (Sec. 205) Establishes the Scientific Advisory Committee to assist the Secretary, examine the effects of tobacco product nicotine yield level alteration, examine whether there is a nicotine threshold below which dependence is not produced, and review other safety, dependence, or health issues regarding tobacco products. Authorizes the Secretary to adopt a tobacco product performance standard regardless of whether the product has been classified under device classification provisions. Allows the standard to include: (1) reduction or elimination of nicotine; or (2) reduction or elimination of other constituents. Authorizes the Secretary to require that a manufacturer test, report, and disclose tobacco and tobacco smoke constituents, including in labeling and advertising. Requires manufacturers to annually submit: (1) an ingredient list for each brand it manufactures; and (2) a safety assessment for each new ingredient it desires to make a part of the product, with current ingredients receiving a safety assessment within five years after enactment of this Act. Requires that the safety assessment demonstrate that the ingredient will not present any risk to consumers or the public in the intended quantities. Mandates regulations to prohibit any ingredient if: (1) no safety assessment has been submitted as required; or (2) the Secretary finds that safety has not been demonstrated. Requires tobacco product packages to disclose: (1) all ingredients; and (2) the percentages of domestic and foreign tobacco. Authorizes the Secretary to require disclosure of an ingredient that relates to a trade secret if the Secretary determines that the disclosure will promote the public health. Mandates specified warnings on cigarette and smokeless tobacco packages and advertising. Preempts related State or local requirements. Declares that nothing in this paragraph relieves any person from liability to any other person at common law or under State statutory law. Makes it unlawful to advertise tobacco products on electronic communications subject to Federal Communications Commission jurisdiction. Directs the Secretary to restrict the access of minors to tobacco products. Requires States, in order to receive amounts under section 111 of this Act, to have a program meeting or exceeding the requirements of the model State program under which a retailer would be required to obtain a State or local license to distribute tobacco products. Includes in minimum model program requirements: (1) licensing fees to defray program administration; (2) prohibiting retail distribution without a license; (3) prohibiting distribution to minors; (4) monetary penalties for violations; and (5) suspension and revocation for repeated distribution to minors or violation of State or local law. Provides for specified penalties for distribution to minors, including penalties imposed on employees of retailers, minors (including loss of driving privileges), and retailers. Authorizes enforcement grants to States. Authorizes the Secretary to enforce the prohibition of distribution to minors. Declares that the provisions of this paragraph do not preempt State or local laws providing greater restrictions than these provisions. Mandates a Federal tobacco licensing program regarding military installations, U.S. embassies, Federally-owned facilities, duty-free shops, and any other Federal entity or Federal property. Treats an Indian tribe or tribal organization as a State for applying and enforcing the provisions of this paragraph regarding Indian reservations. Requires each manufacturer to submit to the Secretary each document in the manufacturer's possession: (1) relating to tobacco-caused health effects in humans or animals (including addiction), control of nicotine, tobacco sale or marketing, or research involving safer tobacco products; or (2) produced, or ordered to be produced, in any health-related civil or criminal proceeding, including attorney-client and other documents produced, or ordered to be produced, for in camera inspection. Directs the Secretary to make the documents available to the public. Exempts from public disclosure trade secrets and attorney-client privilege materials unless the Secretary determines disclosure is necessary to promote the public health. Authorizes any individual to begin a civil action: (1) against any person allegedly in violation of these provisions; or (2) against the Secretary or the Commissioner of Food and Drugs for alleged failure to perform as required. Prohibits regulations having the effect of placing burdens on tobacco producers in excess of the burdens generally placed on other agricultural commodity producers. Repeals the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act and the Comprehensive Smokeless Tobacco Health Education Act of 1986. Title III: Youth Smoking Reduction Targets and Incentives to Reduce Youth Smoking Rates - Mandates an annual survey of the percentage of individuals under 18 using tobacco products. (Sec. 303) Requires annual determinations of whether the required percentage reduction in underage tobacco use has been achieved. Specifies the required reductions in cigarette and smokeless tobacco products. Requires each manufacturer to reduce the percentage of children who use the manufacturer's brand accordingly. (Sec. 304) Mandates industry-wide and individual manufacturer monetary penalties if targets are not met for a year. Multiplies the penalties for consecutive failure years. Requires regulations to prohibit the sale of single packs of a manufacturer's tobacco products in cases of repeated noncompliance with required reductions and to require generic packaging in severe repeated noncompliance. Authorizes regulations requiring reductions in the use of other tobacco products by individuals under 18, including manufacturer monetary penalties for reduction failures. Title IV: Tobacco Transition Assistance Trust Fund - Establishes the Tobacco Transition Trust Fund and transfers to it amounts available under section 101. Authorizes appropriations to the Fund as repayable advances as necessary for Fund expenditures. Makes the Fund available for transition assistance to tobacco producers and tobacco-growing communities to adjust to reduced demand for tobacco, including economic development assistance, producer and factory worker retraining, or producer scholarships. Makes those amounts available only if a law is enacted by January 1, 2000, specifically prescribing Fund authorized uses. Declares that this title constitutes budget authority in advance of appropriations Acts. Terminates the authority of this title unless such a prescribing law is enacted. Title V: Standards to Reduce Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke - Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to require the responsible entity for each non-residential public building (regularly entered by at least ten individuals at least one day per week (except certain types of facilities)) to implement a smoke-free environment policy. Allows designated smoking areas meeting specified requirements. Sets forth special rules for: (1) schools and other facilities serving children; and (2) public transportation. Requires States, in order to receive funds under this Act, to demonstrate enforcement. Title VI: Public Health and Other Programs - Subtitle A: Research Programs - Mandates programs (through grants, contracts, or otherwise) to: (1) promote expanded research concerning specified aspects of tobacco and health; and (2) for the conduct of research on the cultural, social, behavioral, neurological, and psychological reasons that individuals refrain from using, begin, continue, or quit using tobacco products. (Sec. 603) Mandates surveillance and evaluation to monitor patterns of tobacco use and determine the effectiveness of various anti-tobacco programs funded under this Act. Requires that funding be made available for the activities under this subtitle. Subtitle B: Education and Prevention Programs - Mandates a program of grants to States for: (1) school-, college-, or university-based education programs concerning tobacco product use dangers; and (2) community-based prevention programs. Requires that funding be made available. Subtitle C: Miscellaneous Programs - Requires a program to reduce tobacco use through national and local media-based (such as counter-advertising campaigns) and nonmedia-based education, prevention, and cessation campaigns. Requires that funding be made available. (Sec. 622) Establishes the National Tobacco Cessation Program. Authorizes grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements. Requires making funding available. (Sec. 623) Establishes a program to provide assistance and compensation to individuals (and entities providing services to individuals) suffering from tobacco-related conditions, targeting uninsured or underinsured individuals who can demonstrate financial hardship. Requires making funding available. (Sec. 624) Authorizes multilateral assistance to foreign countries to assist in reducing and preventing the use of tobacco in foreign countries, focusing on preventing use by minors. Requires making funding available. Establishes in the District of Columbia a private, nonprofit corporation to be known as the American Center on Global Health and Tobacco (ACT). Requires that an International Advisory Council advise ACT. Mandates the annual transfer of a specified amount to carry out this paragraph. Makes ACT and its grantees subject to the oversight and supervision of the Congress. (Sec. 625) Mandates the National Event Sponsorship Program, authorizing grants for the sponsorship of athletic or other social or cultural events that, before enactment of this Act, was provided by a tobacco manufacturer or distributor. Requires making funding available. Terminates the Program ten years after enactment of this Act. (Sec. 626) Requires a program of grants to States to augment existing programs to reduce alcohol and illicit drug use by individuals under 18. Requires making funding available. Title VII: Liability Protection; Consent Decrees; National Protocol - Subtitle A: Liability Protection and Attorney Fees - Requires that, in order to receive funds under section 111, a State resolve any existing, and agree not to start any new, civil action seeking recovery for expenditures attributable to tobacco-related conditions commenced by the State against a manufacturer, distributor, or retailer and pending at enactment of this Act. Bars the Federal Government from starting any such action. Prohibits construing these provisions to limit an individual's right to start a civil action for past, present, or future conduct by tobacco product manufacturers, distributors, or retailers. (Sec. 702) Establishes an Arbitration Panel to award attorney's fees and expenses relating to litigation affected by, or legal services resulting in, this Act. Prohibits any Panel award from affecting any fee payments required under any provision of this Act. Subtitle B: Consent Decrees - Requires that, in order to receive funds under section 111 a State, and in order to receive liability protections under subtitle A tobacco manufacturer, enter into consent decrees under this subtitle. Allows a State to qualify with good faith but unsuccessful efforts. Requires that the decrees resolve State actions for claims associated with manufacturer conduct before this Act. Sets forth required terms, conditions, and limitations. Makes the decrees enforceable by the signatories and the Attorney General. Requires, prior to decree entry by a court, that the decrees be: (1) approved by the Secretary and the Attorney General; (2) fair and reasonable; and (3) in the public interest. Subtitle C: National Tobacco Control Protocol - Chapter 1: Establishment - Requires that a tobacco manufacturer, in order to receive liability protections under subtitle A, enter into a National Tobacco Control Protocol with the U.S. Attorney General and the attorney general of each State that does not opt out. Requires that the Protocol be a binding contract embodying the terms of this subtitle and designed to be enforceable in Federal or State courts. Chapter 2: Terms and Conditions - Declares that this chapter is a part of the Protocol. (Sec. 726) Prohibits tobacco advertising: (1) outdoors; (2) except as allowed in this Act, in any arena or stadium where athletic or other social or cultural activities occur; (3) using a human image or cartoon character; (4) on the Internet, unless inaccessible in or from the United States; and (5) subject to exception, at the point of sale. (Sec. 727) Prohibits a manufacturer from using a trade or brand name of a non-tobacco product for a cigarette or smokeless tobacco product, unless in use before 1998. Sets forth situations in which tobacco brand names or other identification indicia may, with prior notice to the Secretary, be used in advertising and labeling. Prohibits payment for the placement of tobacco products in television programs, motion pictures, or videos or on video game machines. Prohibits direct or indirect payment or consideration for promoting tobacco product image or use through print, film, or broadcast media that appeals to individuals under 18 or through a live performance artist that appeals to such individuals. (Sec. 728) Allows, subject to exceptions, tobacco product labeling and advertising to use only black text on a white background. Limits audio (alone or with video) to words only, prohibiting music and sound effects. (Sec. 729) Prohibits: (1) the use of a tobacco product brand name, logo, symbol, motto, selling message, recognizable color or pattern of colors, or any other indicia of product identification on any service or nontobacco item; (2) offering tobacco purchasers any non-tobacco item in consideration of purchase; and (3) manufacturers, distributors, and retailers from sponsoring athletic or other social or cultural event in which any indicia of product identification is used (but allows sponsorship under the corporate name, if in use before 1995 and if the corporate name does not include any indicia of product identification). Chapter 3: Enforcement - Allows the Attorney General to bring an action for enforcement, or restrain a breach, of the Protocol. Allows restraining orders, orders of specific performance, civil monetary penalties, and (for officers of manufacturers who knowingly violate the Protocol) criminal penalties, including incarceration. Authorizes grants and contracts for State enforcement. Authorizes use of amounts from the HEALTHY Kids Trust Fund and Department of Justice funds for Attorney General enforcement. (Sec. 732) Authorizes the attorney general of a State to bring an action for enforcement, or to restrain a breach, of the Protocol if the alleged violation occurred in that State. Provides for concurrent Federal and State court jurisdiction in such actions. Allows the remedies specified in section 731. (Sec. 733) Authorizes a manufacturer to file an action seeking a declaration of its Protocol rights and obligations. Authorizes any person to bring an action to enforce the Protocol, with any damages remitted to the Treasury. Entitles any manufacturer to intervene as a matter of right in any Federal or State Attorney General enforcement action. Title VIII: Miscellaneous Provisions - Prohibits the use of funds made available by appropriations or otherwise for specified actions, including: (1) promoting the export, reexport, sale, manufacture, advertising, or use of tobacco products to or in a foreign country; or (2) subject to exception, seeking the removal or reduction of any foreign restriction on the importation, export, sale, manufacture, advertising, use, imposition of tariffs, or taxation of tobacco products. (Sec. 802) Prohibits reprisals against a whistleblower employee of any tobacco product manufacturer, distributor, or retailer for disclosing to specified Federal agencies or State or local authorities information regarding a violation of law related to this Act or related State or local laws. Allows the whistleblower to receive a portion of a payment to the Government resulting from the whistleblower's disclosure. (Sec. 803) Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) to make it unlawful for any domestic concern, directly or through a foreign subsidiary or affiliate, to use the mails or interstate commerce to contribute to: (1) the foreign sale or distribution of tobacco products to children or the foreign advertising of tobacco products in a way that appeals to children; and (2) the tobacco product export from any country without a package warning label in the primary language or languages of the country of sale or distribution that complies with domestic labeling requirements. Adds the unlawful acts of this section to the FDCA list of prohibited acts and entitles a person who provides information leading to a related criminal conviction to a portion of the criminal fine collected. (Sec. 804) Allows State or local measures to further this Act's purposes not less stringent than the requirements of this Act. Title IX: Miscellaneous Provisions - Declares that the provisions of this Act shall apply to the manufacture, distribution, and sale of tobacco products in any area in tribal or tribal organization jurisdiction, with exceptions for religious practices. Mandates regulations applying the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act requirements regarding tobacco products to such areas. Provides for the treatment of tribes and tribal organizations under various provisions of this Act. Prohibits manufacturers from engaging in any activity in such areas that is prohibited under the Protocol. Requires that amounts made available under certain portions of section 101 be provided to the Indian Health Service for anti-tobacco-related consumption and cessation activities. Allows tribes and tribal organizations to: (1) take measures to further this Act's purposes in addition to the requirements of this Act; and (2) have rules or practices providing greater protection from the health hazards of environmental tobacco smoke. Prohibits a State from imposing requirements regarding the application of this Act to Indian tribes and tribal organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1998
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 2000, the duty on (2- benzothiazolylthio)-butane-dioic acid (Irgacor 252LD).
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1998
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 2000, the duty on 1-hydroxy cyclohexyl phenyl ketone (Irgacure 184).
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1998
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 2000, the duty on synthetic quartz substrates imported into the United States in bulk or in forms or packages for retail sale.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1998
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 2000, the duty on 2-(dimethylamino)-1- (4-(4-morpholinyl)- 2-(phenylmethyl)-1-butanone (Irgacure 369).
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1998
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 2000, the duty on bis(2,4,6-trimethyl benzoyl) phenyl phosphine oxide (Irgacure 819).
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1998
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 2000, the duty on 2,4-bis((octylthio)methyl)-o-cresol; epoxidized triglyceride (Irganox 1520LR).
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1998
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 2000, the duty on N-ethylmorpholine, empd. with 3-(4-methylbenzoyl) propanoic acid (1:2) (Irgacor 1405).
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1998
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 2000, the duty on bis(2,6-dimethoxy- benzoyl)-2,4,4 - trimethyl pentyl phosphinenoxide and 2-hydroxy-2- methyl-1-phenyl-1-propanone (Irgacure 1700).
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1998
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 2000, the duty on 4-((4,6-bis (octylthio)-1,3,5-triazine-2-yl)amino)-2,6-bis (1,1- dimethylethyl)phenol (Irganox 565).
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1998
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 2000, the duty on calcium bis (monoethyl (3,5-di-tert- butyl-4-hydroxybenzyl) phosphonate) (Irganox 1425).
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1998
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 2000, the duty on 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1- phenyl-1- propanone (Darocure 1173).
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1998
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 2000, the duty on 2,4- bis((octylthio)methyl)-o-cresol (Irganox 1520).
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 1998
Declares that the Congress: (1) honors the proud history of Wisconsin statehood; and (2) encourages all Wisconsinites to reflect on the State's distinguished past and look forward to the State's promising future.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 1998
Provides that a named individual shall not be considered to be inadmissible to, or deportable from, the United States or ineligible for naturalization by reason of a criminal offense to which he pleaded guilty.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1998
Torture Victims Relief Act - Prohibits the United States from expelling, removing, extraditing, or otherwise involuntarily returning an individual to a country if there is substantial evidence that a reasonable person in the circumstances of that individual would fear subjection to torture in that country. (Sec. 5) Covers within this Act any alien presenting a claim of having been tortured, or whom there is reason to believe has been tortured. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) consideration by appropriate officials of the effects of torture; (2) expedited processing of refugee admissions and for asylum and withholding of removal; (3) granting parole in lieu of detention for such an individual under the Immigration and Nationality Act; and (4) exemption of such an individual from expedited removal pursuant to such Act. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Attorney General should allocate sufficient resources to maintain in the Immigration and Naturalization Service's Resource Information Center current information relating to the use of torture in foreign countries. (Sec. 6) Directs the Attorney General to provide training for immigration inspectors and examiners, immigration officers, asylum officers, immigration judges, and other relevant Department of Justice officials, and directs the Secretary of State to provide training for consular officers, regarding the identification of torture, the surrounding circumstances most often practiced, the long-term effects upon a victim, the identification of the physical, cognitive, and emotional effects of torture, and the appropriate manner of interviewing torture victims. (Sec. 7) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide grants to programs in the United States to cover the cost of specified services for torture victims. Authorizes the appropriation of funds for assistance for domestic centers and programs for the treatment of torture victims. (Sec. 8) Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to provide grants to treatment centers and programs in foreign countries which are specifically carrying out projects or activities to treat victims of torture. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 9) Authorizes appropriations to the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture for FY 1999 through 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 1998
Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 - Revises and extends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (RA). (Sec. 2) Provides for establishment of: (1) linkages between State vocational rehabilitation programs and workforce investment activities carried out under the Workforce Investment Partnership Act of 1998 (WIPA); and (2) special responsibilities for the Secretary of Education for coordination of all activities with respect to individuals with disabilities within and across programs administered by the Federal Government. (Sec. 3) Revises RA general provisions. Requires the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA, which is in the Office of the Secretary of Education) and the Director of the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research to reserve specified funds to carry out certain activities for outreach to minorities. (Sec. 4) Extends through FY 2004 the authorization of appropriations for Basic Vocational Rehabilitation Services programs. Revises requirements for State Vocational Rehabilitation Services plans, individual eligibility, individualized rehabilitation employment plans, vocational rehabilitation services scope, group services, non-Federal shares for establishment of programs, State Rehabilitation Councils, evaluation standards and performance indicators, and monitoring and review. Maintains formulas for State allotments for Basic Vocational Rehabilitation Services, but eliminates provisions for certain additional allotments and payments to States. Revises reallotment provisions. Revises the formula for reservation of funds for American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services. Revises requirements for title I payments to States. Requires a State Governor to redesignate the agency conducting the client assistance program under certain conditions. Extends through FY 2004 the authorization of appropriations for such program. Eliminates RA title I (current part C) provisions for Innovation and Expansion Grants. Increases to 60 months the maximum effective duration of an approved application for an American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services grant. Revises requirements for vocational rehabilitation services client information. Directs the Secretaries of Education and of Health and Human Services to enter into a memorandum of understanding to exchange data of mutual importance that concern clients of designated State agencies, including data maintained either by the RSA or by the Social Security Administration from its Summary Earnings and Records and Master Beneficiary Records. Directs the Secretary of Labor to provide the RSA Commissioner with labor market information that facilitates evaluation of the Basic Vocational Rehabilitation Services program and allows comparison of the progress of individuals with disabilities who are assisted under such program in securing, retaining, regaining, and advancing in employment with the progress made by individuals who are assisted under specified WIPA provisions. (Sec. 5) Revises RA title II (Research and Training). Extends through FY 2004 the authorization of appropriations for: (1) expenses of the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (Institute), including certain expenses of the Rehabilitation Research Advisory Council; and (2) research and other covered activities. Requires the Institute's Director to: (1) include, in an education program for the public, information on assistive technology services and devices, and disseminate engineering information about them; (2) provide for development and dissemination of models to address consumer-driven information needs related to assistive technology devices and services; and (3) publish for public comment drafts of five-year plans outlining and explaining priorities for rehabilitation research, demonstration projects, training, and related activities, and consider public comments before submitting the final form of such a plan to the appropriate congressional committees. Eliminates grant or contract assistance for: (1) a pediatric rehabilitation research program; (2) a Rehabilitation Research and Training Center in the Pacific Basin; and (3) a center for research and training concerning the delivery of rehabilitation services to rural areas. (Sec. 6) Revises RA title III (Professional Development and Special Projects and Demonstrations). Directs the Secretary to ensure that all title III grants and contracts are awarded on a competitive basis. Revises and extends through FY 2004 the authorization of appropriations for training programs. Requires (current law authorizes) the Commissioner to make grants and contracts for personnel training. Authorizes the Commissioner to make grants and contracts for training: (1) regarding related Federal statutes; (2) personnel providing services to individuals with disabilities under WIPA (jointly funded with the Department of Labor); or (3) leading to an academic degree or certificate in various rehabilitation-related areas. Continues requirements for training grants for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other higher education institutions with minority enrollments of at least 50 percent. Includes hard-of-hearing individuals (as well as deaf or deaf-blind individuals) among those for whom interpreters may be trained under a discretionary grant program. Eliminates: (1) discretionary technical assistance to State rehabilitation agencies and community rehabilitation programs; (2) various grants and contracts relating to vocational rehabilitation services for individuals with disabilities; (3) loan guarantees for community rehabilitation programs; and (4) comprehensive rehabilitation centers. Revises and extends through FY 2004 the authorization of appropriations for: (1) special demonstration programs; (2) migrant and seasonal farmworkers programs; and (3) recreational programs. Eliminates certain title III discretionary grants for: (1) reader services for blind individuals; and (2) interpreter services for deaf individuals. Authorizes the Commissioner to require title III grant recipients to submit information to measure project outcomes and performance. (Sec. 7) Amends RA title IV (National Council on Disability) to revise the deadline for the Council's annual progress report on national disability policy. Extends through FY 2004 the authorization of appropriations for the Council. (Sec. 8) Revises RA title V (Rights and Advocacy). Directs the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (the Access Board) to promulgate regulations for Federal agency procurement of electronic and information technology that allows individuals with disabilities to produce and have access to information and data in manner comparable to that of individuals without disabilities. Extends through FY 2004 the authorization of appropriations for title V with respect to protection and advocacy of individual rights. Reserves for a grant to the eligible system serving the American Indian consortium a certain portion of such funds in excess of a specified amount. Applies certain limitations under the Assisted Suicide Funding Restriction Act of 1997 to the use of allotments or grants under these RA provisions for protection and advocacy of individual rights. (Sec. 9) Amends RA title VI (Employment Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities) (the Employment Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities Act). Eliminates current part A (Community Service Pilot Programs for Individuals with Disabilities). Sets forth a new part A (Projects in Telecommuting and Self-Employment for Individuals with Disabilities). Directs the Commissioner to award competitive, one-time, time-limited grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible entities to establish and operate: (1) projects in telecommuting for individuals with disabilities; and (2) projects in self-employment for individuals with disabilities. Authorizes the Commissioner to establish procedures for dual-purpose applications. Authorizes appropriations through FY 2004. Revises and extends through FY 2004 the authorization of appropriations for: (1) part B (Projects with Industry); (2) part C (Supported Employment Services for Individuals with the Most Significant Disabilities). ("Most significant" replaces the term "severe" disabilities.) (Sec. 10) Amends RA title VII (Independent Living Services and Centers for Independent Living). Revises and extends through FY 2004 the authorization of appropriations for: (1) Individuals with Significant Disabilities, including provisions for Independent Living Services and Centers for Independent Living; and (2) Independent Living Services for Older Individuals Who Are Blind. (Sec. 11) Amends the Helen Keller National Center Act to extend through FY 2000 the authorization of appropriations for the Helen Keller National Center for Youths and Adults Who Are Deaf-Blind and the Center's Federal Endowment Fund. Directs the Center to establish and maintain a national registry of individuals who are deaf-blind. Authorizes appropriations through FY 2000 for such registry. (Sec. 12) Amends a specified Joint Resolution of the Congress to allow the President's Committee on National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week to solicit, as well as accept, certain donations. (Sec. 13) Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to provide that the Federal Advisory Committee Act shall not apply to peer review panels established by the Secretary to evaluate applications for financial assistance awarded on a competitive basis. (Sec. 14) Directs the Secretary to prepare and submit to the Congress recommended legislation containing technical and conforming amendments to reflect the changes made by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 1998
Condemns the continued threat to international peace and security posed by Iraq's refusal to meet its international obligations and end its weapons of mass destruction programs. Urges the President to: (1) take all necessary and appropriate actions to respond to such threat; and (2) work with the Congress in furthering a long-term policy aimed at definitively ending such threat.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1998
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 1998 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the Federal minimum wage per hour, beginning on September 1 of the years specified, to: (1) $5.65 in 1998; (2) $6.15 in 1999; (3) $6.65 in 2000; and (4) in 2001 and subsequent fiscal years, $6.65 adjusted to reflect increases in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 1997
Long Island Sound Preservation and Protection Act of 1997 - Amends the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 to prohibit the dumping in Long Island Sound or Block Island Sound of dredged material exceeding 25,000 cubic yards from any Federal or non-Federal project that contains any of the constituents prohibited as other than trace contaminants (as defined by certain Federal ocean dumping criteria set forth in the Code of Federal Regulations), except where it is demonstrated to and certified by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency that such dumping will not cause significant undesirable effects, including the threat associated with bioaccumulation of such constituents in marine organisms. Requires any dumping of dredged material in Long Island Sound or Block Island Sound from a Federal project pursuant to Federal authorization, or by a non-Federal applicant, exceeding 25,000 cubic yards, to comply with specified criteria under the Act relating the effects of dumping.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 1997
Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 1998 - Amends the Federal criminal code to set penalties for persons who, whether or not acting under color of law, willfully cause bodily injury to any person or, through the use of fire, firearm, or explosive device, attempt to cause such injury, because of the actual or perceived: (1) race, color, religion, or national origin of any person; and (2) religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability of any person, where in connection with the offense, the defendant or the victim travels in interstate or foreign commerce, uses a facility or instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce, or engages in any activity affecting interstate or foreign commerce, or where the offense is in or affects interstate or foreign commerce. (Sec. 5) Directs the United States Sentencing Commission to study the issue of adult recruitment of juveniles to commit hate crimes and, if appropriate, amend the Federal sentencing guidelines to provide sentencing enhancements for adult defendants who recruit juveniles to assist in the commission of hate crimes. (Sec. 6) Requires the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to make grants to State and local programs designed to combat hate crimes committed by juveniles. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 7) Authorizes appropriations to the Department of the Treasury and to DOJ to increase the number of personnel to prevent and respond to alleged violations of provisions regarding interference with specified federally protected activities, such as voting.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 1997
Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 1997 - Provides for the permanent resident status adjustment of certain Haitian nationals (and their spouses and children) who were paroled into the United States or filed for amnesty before a specified date. Sets forth stay of removal and work authorization provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 1997
Cargo Theft Deterrence Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal criminal code regarding thefts pertaining to interstate or foreign shipments by carrier to include thefts of trailers and air cargo containers and thefts from freight consolidation facilities. Increases the maximum penalty from one year to three years imprisonment. Authorizes the court, upon motion of the Attorney General, to reduce any penalty imposed under such provisions for any defendant who provides information leading to the arrest and conviction of any dealer or wholesaler of stolen goods or chattels moving as, which are a part of, or which constitute, an interstate or foreign shipment. Specifies that goods and chattel shall be construed to be moving as an interstate or foreign shipment at all points between the point of origin and the final destination. Makes it an affirmative defense that the defendant bought, received, or possessed the goods at issue with the sole intent to report the matter to an appropriate law enforcement officer or to the owner. Directs: (1) the United States Sentencing Commission to amend the Federal sentencing guidelines to provide a sentencing enhancement of not less than two levels for any such offense; and (2) the Attorney General to annually submit to the Congress a report including an evaluation of law enforcement activities relating to the investigation and prosecution of such offenses. Establishes the Advisory Committee on Cargo Theft to study, and develop recommendations regarding, the establishment of: (1) a national computer database for the collection and dissemination of information relating to violations of cargo theft provisions; and (2) an office within the Federal Government to promote, and to increase coordination between the Government and the private sector regarding, cargo security. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1997
Lower East Side Tenement National Historic Site Act of 1997 - Designates the Lower East Side Tenement at 97 Orchard Street, New York, New York, as a national historic site and an affiliated site of the National Park System. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to coordinate the operation and interpretation of the Site with the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and Castle Clinton National Monuments. Provides that the Site shall continue to own, operate, and manage the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Museum to ensure the marking, interpretation, and preservation of the Site. Requires the Secretary to develop a general management plan for the Site that: (1) defines the Secretary's role and responsibility with regard to the interpretation and preservation of the Site; and (2) outlines how interpretation and programming for the Site shall be integrated and coordinated with the Statute of Liberty, Ellis Island, and Castle Clinton National Monuments to enhance the story of the Site and Monuments. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Federal Commission on Statistical Policy Title II: Efficiency and Confidentiality of Federal Statistical Systems Federal Statistical System Act of 1997 - Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) a more centralized statistical system is integral to efficiency; (2) the Chief Statistician must have the authority, personnel, and other resources necessary to carry out the duties of that office effectively, including duties relating to statistical forms clearance; and (3) statistical forms clearance at the Office of Management and Budget should be better distinguished from regulatory forms clearance. Title I: Federal Commission on Statistical Policy - Establishes the Federal Commission on Statistical Policy to study and submit to the Congress a specified report on the reorganization of the Federal statistical system, including recommendations on how to consolidate the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Bureau of the Census, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis by October 1, 2001 (or after that date), in a Federal Statistical Service. Provides for such report, if it contains recommendations on the consolidation of such bureaus in a Federal Statistical Service, to incorporate such recommendations in draft legislation. (Sec. 107) Terminates the Commission upon the expiration of a certain period. (Sec. 108) Sets forth provisions for fast-track procedures for a statistical reorganization bill of either House that is substantially identical to the draft legislation submitted to the Congress by the Commission. (Sec. 109) Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Efficiency and Confidentiality of Federal Statistical Systems - Designates Federal Statistical Data Centers. (Sec. 204) Requires, among other things, that Statistical Data Centers: (1) identify opportunities to eliminate duplication and otherwise reduce the reporting burden and cost imposed on the public by sharing information for exclusively statistical purposes; and (2) safeguard the confidentiality of identifiable information acquired for statistical purposes. (Sec. 205) Sets limitations on the use and disclosure of data and information by Statistical Data Centers. (Sec. 206) Sets forth provisions for the disclosure of data or information by specified Federal agencies to Statistical Data Centers for statistical purposes. (Sec. 207) Authorizes the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), after consultation with the head of an agency proposing a reorganization that eliminates, or substantially alters the mission or functions of, an agency that may disclose data or information to a Statistical Data Center, to designate an agency or unit to serve as a successor Statistical Data Center under the terms of this title if certain criteria are met. (Sec. 208) Provides for coordination and oversight of confidentiality and disclosure policies by the Director. Requires: (1) the head of each Statistical Data Center to report to OMB each disclosure agreement and the results of any review of information security undertaken at the request of OMB and any similar review undertaken on the initiative of the Statistical Data Center or an agency supplying data or information to such a Center; and (2) the Director to include a summary of all such reports and any actions taken by the Director in the annual report by OMB to the Congress on statistical programs. (Sec. 210) Directs the President to submit to the Congress, no later than 90 days after the enactment of this Act, proposed changes in Federal law to reflect any measures under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 1997
Cuban Women and Children Humanitarian Relief Act - Declares that it should be U.S. policy to permit the sale and export of food, medicines, and medical equipment to the Cuban people. Authorizes the President to permit the sale and export of such items to Cuba. Requires the President to notify the Congress and the public of any decision to permit the sale and export of such items.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 1997
Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act - Amends the Freedom of Information Act to redefine the term "Nazi war criminal records." Requires such records to be released in their entirety, subject to disclosure exceptions. Provides disclosure exceptions for the release of specific information which should be expected to reveal, among other things: (1) the identity of a confidential human source, or information about the application of an intelligence source or method, or the identity of a human intelligence source when the unauthorized disclosure of that source would damage the national security of the United States; (2) information that would assist in the development or use of weapons of mass destruction; and (3) information that would seriously impair relations between the United States and a foreign government, or seriously undermine ongoing diplomatic activities of the United States. Prohibits applying the exception to records: (1) related to or supporting any investigation, inquiry, or prosecution by the Office of Special Investigations of the Department of Justice; or (2) in the possession or control of that office. Amends the National Security Act of 1947 to provide that the exemption from public disclosure authorized under such Act for operational files of the Central Intelligence Agency shall not apply to information regarding any operational file, or portion of any operational file, that constitutes a Nazi war criminal record. Establishes the Nazi War Criminal Records Interagency Working Group to locate, identify, inventory, recommend for declassification, and make available to the public at the National Archives and Records Administration, all Nazi war criminal records of the United States. Provides for expedited processing of requests for Nazi war criminal records.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 1997
Border Improvement and Immigration Act of 1997 - Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 with respect to the automated entry-exit control system to exempt from required recordkeeping: (1) land border crossings; and (2) permanent resident and certain other aliens. Requires the Attorney General to report on the feasibility of implementing an automated entry-exit control system that would include land border arrivals and departures. Provides for increased numbers of full-time Immigration and Naturalization and Customs inspectors at U.S. land borders, with at least half of such inspectors to be assigned to the northern border.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 1997
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) any unified budget surpluses that might arise in the current expansion should be used to reduce the Federal debt; and (2) during this economic expansion, there should be no net tax cut or new spending that is not offset by reductions in spending on other programs or tax increases.
![Official portrait of Sen. Moynihan, Daniel Patrick [D-NY]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m001054_200.jpg)