United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2000
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for: (1) a 4.3 cents per gallon reduction in taxes on gasoline, diesel fuel, and kerosene during the period beginning after April 15, 2000, and ending before January 1, 2001; and (2) a zero rate of tax during such period if the national average price of unleaded regular gasoline is at least two dollars per gallon. Provides: (1) for the modification of such reduction if it would result in a reduction in revenues to the Treasury exceeding the Federal on-budget surplus; and (2) that in determining the amounts to be appropriated to the Highway Trust Fund and the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, an amount equal such reduction in revenues to the Treasury shall be treated as taxes received. Sets forth similar provisions with respect to the tax on: (1) fuel used in commercial transportation on inland waterways; and (2) aviation fuel. Sets forth floor stocks provisions. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) consumers should immediately receive the benefit of the reduction; and (2) motor fuels producers and dealers should take such actions as necessary to reduce prices to reflect any reduction. Requires a study and report.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2000
2002 Winter Olympic Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue five dollar gold coins and one dollar silver coins emblematic of the participation of American athletes in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Mandates that coin design be selected by the Secretary after consultation with: (1) the Commission of Fine Arts; (2) the United States Olympic Committee; and (3) Olympic Properties of the United States-Salt Lake 2002 (created and owned by the Salt Lake Organizing Committee). States that all surcharges from the coin sales ($35 for a $5 coin and $10 for a $1 coin) shall be distributed by the Secretary to: (1) Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the Olympic Winter Games of 2002; and (2) the United States Olympic Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2000
Family Opportunity Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) give States the option of allowing families of disabled children to purchase Medicaid coverage for such children; and (2) provide for treatment of inpatient psychiatric hospital services for individuals under age 21 under waivers allowing for payment for part or all of the cost of home or community-based services. Authorizes a State to apply to the Secretary of Health and Human Services for approval of a demonstration project to provide Medicaid coverage to up to a specified maximum number of children with a potentially severe disability. Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to make appropriations to the Secretary for special projects of regional and national significance for development and support of family-to-family health information centers.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2000
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for a temporary reduction in fuel taxes on gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, and aviation fuel. Sets forth floor stock provisions. Expresses the sense of the Congress that consumers should immediately receive the benefit of the tax reduction through fuel price reductions. Requires a study to determine if there has been a passthrough of such reduction.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2000
Rails to Resources Act of 2000 - Authorizes and urges the President to enter into an agreement with the government of Canada to establish a joint commission to study the technological and economic feasibility of linking the rail system in Alaska to the nearest appropriate point on the North American continental rail system. Provides for the establishment of the Rails to Resources Fund to pay for the costs of commission activities. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2000
Organ Procurement Organization Certification Act of 2000 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to add to the list of requirements to be met by qualified organ procurement organizations that an organization has been certified or recertified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services within the previous four-year period as meeting performance standards. Requires certification or recertification to be made through a process that either granted certification or recertification with such certification or recertification in effect as of January 1, 2000, and remaining in effect through the earlier of January 1, 2002, or the completion of recertification under regulations promulgated by the Secretary, or that is defined through regulations promulgated by January 1, 2002, that: (1) require recertifications of such organizations no more frequently than once every four years; (2) rely on outcome and process performance measures that are based on empirical evidence of organ donor potential and other related factors in each service area of such organizations; (3) use multiple outcome measures as part of the certification process; (4) provide for filing and approval of a corrective action plan by an organization that fails to meet performance standards and a grace period of up to three years to implement the plan without risk of decertification; and (5) provide for a qualified organization to appeal a decertification to the Secretary on substantive and procedural grounds.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2000
National Museum of the American Indian Commemorative Coin Act of 2000, or American Buffalo Coin Commemorative Coin Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue a maximum of 500,000 $1 dollar coins in commemoration of the opening of the Museum of the American Indian of the Smithsonian Institution. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States Mint Facility in Denver, Colorado, should strike such coins unless the Secretary determines that it would be technically or cost-prohibitive. Mandates that the proceeds from sales surcharges be paid promptly to the National Museum of the American Indian of the Smithsonian Institution to: (1) commemorate the opening of the Museum; and (2)supplement the Museum's endowment and educational outreach funds. Subjects the Museum to certain Federal audit requirements. Instructs the Secretary to take actions to ensure that coin minting and issuance will not result in any net cost to the Government.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2000
Arctic Coastal Plain Domestic Energy Security Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Land Management, to: (1) establish and implement a competitive oil and gas leasing program for the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas resources in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Alaska); (2) ensure that such program does not result in significant adverse effects upon either fish, wildlife, or the environment; and (3) ensure receipt of fair market value by the public for the mineral resources to be leased. (Sec. 3) Amends the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 to repeal the proscription against the leasing or development for oil or gas production on the Coastal Plain. Declares that: (1) Congress has determined that such oil and gas leasing activities are compatible with the purposes for which the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was established; and (2) no further findings or decisions are required. Authorizes the Secretary to designate up to a total of 45,000 acres of the Coastal Plain as Special Areas closed to leasing, but within which the Secretary may permit: (1) restrictive lease terms with respect to surface use and occupancy; and (2) the use of horizontal drilling technology from sites located outside the designated Special Areas. States that this Act constitutes the Secretary's sole authority to close lands to oil and gas exploration and production within the Coastal Plain. Directs the Secretary to convey: (1) the surface estate of specified Coastal Plain lands to the Kaktovik Inupiat Corporation; and (2) the subsurface estate beneath such surface estate to the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation. (Sec. 6) Prescribes procedural guidelines for lease sales on the Coastal Plain, including lease terms, conditions, and bonding requirements. Provides for expedited judicial review in the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia with respect to actions of the Secretary. (Sec. 12) Directs the Secretary to grant rights of way and easements across the Coastal Plain for oil and gas transportation. Mandates that all revenues received by the Federal Government from competitive transactions and charges derived from Coastal Plain oil and gas leasing be deposited into the Treasury. Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to pay semiannually to the State of Alaska the same percentage of such revenues as is set forth in specified law.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2000
Fair Tax Treatment for Fishermen Act of 2000 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend income averaging to income from the trade or business of catching, taking, or harvesting fish intended to enter commerce through sale, barter, or trade; and (2) disregard income averaging for farmers and commercial fishermen in computing the regular alternative minimum tax. Allows a limited deduction to fishermen for amounts paid into a Fishing Risk Management Account.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2000
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Reorganization Act of 2000 - Divides the current U.S. Court of Appeals for the ninth circuit into: (1) the ninth circuit, composed of Arizona, California, and Nevada, consisting of 20 judges, and holding regular sessions in San Francisco and Los Angeles; and (2) the twelfth circuit, composed of Alaska, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, and Washington, consisting of eight judges, and holding regular sessions in Portland and Seattle. Assigns circuit judges of the former ninth circuit to either of the two new circuits based upon their official station, with senior judges permitted election of assignment.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2000
Sets a three-year term of office for the first person appointed as Under Secretary for Nuclear Security of the Department of Energy. Makes inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office the exclusive reasons for removing such person from office.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2000
Price-Anderson Amendments Act of 2000 - Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to extend to August 1, 2012, the indemnification authority of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission with respect to licensees and nonprofit educational institutions. Makes such indemnification authority permanent for the Department of Energy (DOE) with respect to contractors. (Sec. 3) Increases from $10 million to $20 million the maximum amount of standard deferred premium that may be charged a licensee following a nuclear incident in any one year for each facility for which the licensee is required to maintain the maximum amount of primary financial protection. (Sec. 4) Sets a $10 billion ceiling upon the aggregate DOE liability limit pursuant to DOE indemnification agreements and for each nuclear incident. Provides that all agreements which obligate DOE to indemnify a person are deemed to be amended to reflect the indemnification amount for both public liability and any applicable financial protection required of the contractor as of the date of enactment of this Act. (Sec. 5) Increases from $100 million to $500 million the indemnification amount and the aggregate public liability limitation due from DOE for incidents outside the United States. (Sec. 7) Directs the Secretary of Energy to adjust the indemnification agreement amount in accordance with the aggregate percentage change in the Consumer Price Index at least once during each five-year period. (Sec. 8) Repeals the directive to the Secretary to determine whether a nonprofit educational institution should receive an automatic remission of any penalties for violations of DOE regulations. Shields a nonprofit contractor, subcontractor, or supplier from a civil penalty in excess of any performance fee paid by the Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2000
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to grant duty-free treatment to certain steam or other vapor generating boilers used in nuclear facilities. Provides a duty for certain other steam or vapor generating boilers. Provides for the liquidation or reliquidation (refund) of duty on such boilers used in nuclear facilities that are entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption during a specified period of time.
United States · United States Congress · 29 February 2000
Conservation and Reinvestment Act of 1999 - Requires: (1) Governors of each State receiving monies from the Conservation and Reinvestment Act Fund (established under this Act) to report on June 15 of each year to the Secretaries of the Interior or of Agriculture, as appropriate, accounting for the money received for the previous fiscal year, including the funded projects and activities; and (2) the Secretary of the Interior to report annually to Congress on monies the Departments of the Interior and of Agriculture have spent out of the Fund, including a summary of such Governors' reports. (Sec. 5) Establishes the Conservation and Reinvestment Act Fund (CRAF). Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit into CRAF certain Outer Continental Shelf revenues, undisbursed amounts under title I of this Act, and certain interest earned on CRAF investments. Transfers all amounts deposited into the CRAF as follows: (1) to the Secretary of the Interior for payment of $1 billion to States for impact assistance and coastal conservation, $125 million for the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act of 1978, $100 million for the National Historic Preservation Act, and $150 million ($100 million for permanent conservation easement and $50 million for endangered and threatened species recovery); (2) to the Secretaries of the Interior and of Agriculture for payment of $200 million for Federal and Indian land restoration; (3) to the Land and Water Conservation Fund in the amount of $900 million; and (4) to the Federal Aid to Wildlife Restoration Fund (FAWRF) established under the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act in the amount of $350 million. Provides that any shortfalls less than $2.825 billion in a fiscal year, after FY 2000, proportionally reduce such sums for that fiscal year. (Sec. 6) Limits the amount available for administrative expenses to two percent. Provides that nothing in this Act shall affect the prohibition contained in the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (as amended by this Act) that bars the use of funds transferred to the FAWRF by this Act for administrative or execution of program expenses. (Sec. 7) Requires off-budget treatment of the receipts and disbursements of funds under this Act. (Sec. 9) Prohibits a State or local government from receiving funds under this Act during any fiscal year: (1) when its expenditures of non-Federal funds for recurrent expenditures for programs for which such funding is provided will be less than its expenditures were for such programs during the preceding fiscal year; or (2) for a program unless the Secretary of the Interior is satisfied that such a grant will be used to supplement and, to the extent practicable, increase the level of State, local, or other non-Federal funds available for such program. Exempts a State or local government from such prohibition if the Secretary determines that a reduction in expenditures is attributable to a non-selective reduction in the expenditures in the programs of all executive branch agencies of such entity. Treats all funds received by a State or local government under this Act as Federal funds for purposes of compliance with provisions in effect under other law requiring that non-Federal funds be used to provide a portion of the funding for any program or project. (Sec. 11) Prohibits: (1) the taking of private property in whole or in part, without just compensation; and (2) Federal agencies, using funds appropriated by this Act, from applying any regulation on any lands until the lands or water or an interest therein is acquired, unless authorized to do so by another Act of Congress. (Sec. 12) Requires the Secretary of the Interior to design a standardized sign and, where appropriate, require its installation at sites receiving funds under this Act. Title I: Impact Assistance and Coastal Conservation - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to allocate such transferred CRAF payments to coastal States for impact assistance and coastal conservation only if such States have: (1) a Secretary-approved Coastal State Conservation and Impact Assistance Plan; (2) agreed to provide specified reports; and (3) certain necessary fiscal control and fund accounting procedures. (Sec. 101) Sets forth the formula for allocating such funds to coastal States and coastal political subdivisions. (Sec. 102) Requires the development and submission of a Coastal State Conservation and Impact Assistance Plan by each coastal State seeking to receive grants under this title (and in the case of a producing State, the Governor) to incorporate the plans of the coastal political subdivisions into the Statewide plan for transmittal to the Secretary of the Interior for approval or disapproval before the disbursement of CRAF funds. Specifies authorized uses of the CRAF funds. Title II: Land and Water Conservation Fund Revitalization - Amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to provide that all CRAF funds transferred to the Land and Water Conservation Fund shall be covered into the Fund. (Sec. 203) Makes $900 million available each fiscal year after FY 2001 for expenditure without further appropriation, to be allocated as follows: (1) 50 percent for Federal purposes; and (2) 50 percent for State grants. (Sec. 205) Prohibits the obligation or expenditure of the Federal portion of such funds for any land or water interest acquisition except those specified and approved by Congress in the appropriate appropriations Act. Prescribes: (1) a procedure for preparing and transmitting to Congress of a list of proposed Federal acquisitions; and (2) notification to specified officials of affected areas with respect to such proposed acquisitions. (Sec. 206) Revises the formula used to allocate amounts made available for State purposes from the Fund each fiscal year. Makes all federally recognized Indian tribes and Native Corporations eligible to receive shares of such apportionment in accordance with a competitive grant program established by the Secretary of the Interior. Requires each State, with an exception, to make available as grants to local governments at least 50 percent of its annual apportionment or an equivalent amount made available from other sources. (Sec. 207) Revises the requirement that a State have a comprehensive statewide outdoor recreation plan as a prerequisite to consideration by the Secretary of the Interior of financial assistance for acquisition or development projects. Allows each State to define its own priorities and criteria for selection of outdoor conservation and recreation acquisition and development projects eligible for grants under this Act if it provides for public involvement in this process and publishes an accurate and current State Action Agenda for Community Conservation and Recreation, within five years after enactment of this Act, indicating the needs it has identified and the priorities and criteria it has established. Allows an existing Comprehensive State Plan to remain in effect until the appropriate State adopts a State Action Agenda. (Sec. 209) Requires the Secretary to approve, subject to certain conditions, the conversion of property (other than for public outdoor recreation use) acquired or developed with assistance under the Act only if the State demonstrates no prudent or feasible alternative exists. Exempts from such requirement those properties that no longer meet the criteria within the State Plan or Agenda as an outdoor conservation and recreation facility due to changes in demographics, or that must be abandoned because of environmental contamination which endangers public health and safety. (Sec. 210) Provides that nothing in this title shall affect any State or Federal water law or an interstate compact governing water, alter any allocations of water rights, or create any new water rights. Title III: Wildlife Conservation and Restoration - Amends the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (FAWRA) to require CRAF funds transferred for FAWRA purposes to be deposited in a new subaccount in the FAWRF, to be made available without further appropriation, for apportionment in each fiscal year for State wildlife conservation and restoration programs. (Sec. 304) Sets forth requirements for: (1) apportionment of such subaccount funds; (2) applications for approval of, and development grants for, State wildlife conservation and restoration programs; and (3) coordination. Prohibits such funds from being used for expenses incurred in the administration and execution of programs. Limits to ten percent the use of such funds for wildlife-associated recreation. (Sec. 305) Allows the subaccount funds to be used for a wildlife conservation education program. Exempts education efforts, projects, or programs that promote or encourage opposition to the regulated taking of wildlife. (Sec. 306) Prohibits a State from receiving FAWRA matching funds if it diverts any funds from wildlife conservation purposes. Title IV: Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Program Amendments - Amends the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act of 1978 to make transferred CRAF funds available to the Secretary of the Interior, without further appropriation, to assist local governments in improving their park and recreation systems. Sets forth limits on the use of such funds. (Sec. 404) Provides for the development of new recreation areas and facilities (including the acquisition of lands for such development) under the urban park and recreation recovery program. (Sec. 406) Revises requirements for: (1) Federal assistance grant eligibility; (2) matching grants to local governments for rehabilitation, development, and innovation purposes; (3) local park and recreation recovery action programs; (4) State action incentives; and (5) conversion of recreation property for any other purposes other than public recreation purposes. (Sec. 411) Repeals sunset provisions and congressional reporting requirements with respect to: (1) the impact of the urban park and recreation recovery program; and (2) the annual achievements of the innovation grant program. Title V: Historic Preservation Fund - Amends the National Historic Preservation Act to provide that amounts transferred from the CRAF each fiscal year shall be deposited into the Historic Preservation Fund to be available without further appropriation, in that fiscal year, to carry out the Act. (Sec. 501) Requires at least one half of the funds obligated or expended each fiscal year under this Act to be used for preservation projects on historic properties (giving priority to the preservation of endangered historic properties). (Sec. 502) Authorizes a State to provide financial assistance to the management entity for any national heritage area or national heritage corridor to support cooperative historic preservation planning and development. Title VI: Federal and Indian Lands Restoration - Makes CRAF funds transferred to the Secretaries of the Interior and of Agriculture available to be used as a dedicated source of funding for a coordinated program on Federal and Indian lands to restore degraded lands, protect resources that are threatened with degradation, and protect public health and safety. Allocates: (1) 60 percent to the Secretary of the Interior for lands within the National Park System, National Wildlife Refuge System, and public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management; (2) 30 percent to the Secretary of Agriculture for lands within the National Forest System; and (3) ten percent to the Secretary of the Interior for competitive grants to qualified Indian tribes (giving priority to projects based upon the protection of significant resources, the severity of damages or threats to resources, and the protection of public health). (Sec. 603) Requires the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) each establish priority lists for the use of funds (giving priority to projects based upon the protection of significant resources, the severity of damages or threats to resources, and the protection of public health or safety); and (2) jointly establish a coordinated program for tracking the progress of activities carried out with amounts made available by this title and determining the extent to which demonstrable results are being achieved. Title VII: Conservation Easements and Endangered and Threatened Species Recovery - Subtitle A: Conservation Easements - Provides that CRAF funds transferred to the Secretary of the Interior shall be used by the Secretary to establish the Conservation Easement Program to provide grants, under specified conditions, to an eligible entity (State or local government, an Indian Tribe, or certain private organizations) to provide the Federal share of up to 50 percent of the total cost of purchasing permanent conservation easements in land with prime, unique, or other productive uses. Subtitle B: Endangered and Threatened Species Recovery - Makes CRAF funds transferred from the CRAF for this title in a fiscal year available to the Secretary of the Interior without further appropriations, in that fiscal year, to provide financial assistance to persons for development and implementation of Endangered and Threatened Species Recovery Agreements entered into under this title. Requires the Secretary to give priority to the development and implementation of Agreements that: (1) implement actions identified under recovery plans approved by the Secretary; (2) have the greatest potential for contributing to the recovery of an endangered or threatened species; and (3) require use of the assistance on land owned by a small landowner or on a family farm by the owner or operator. (Sec. 713) Prohibits the Secretary from providing financial assistance for any action that is required by a permit or an incidental take statement issued under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 or that is otherwise required under Federal law. (Sec. 714) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into such Agreements and sets forth Agreement requirements, including: (1) requiring activities not otherwise mandated by law that contribute to species recovery; and (2) specifying species recovery goals. Requires the Secretary to review Agreements in compliance, periodically monitor the implementation of each Agreement, and disburse financial assistance to implement the Agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 29 February 2000
China-World Trade Organization Compliance Act - Directs the President, not later than 90 days after China accedes to the World Trade Organization (WTO), to submit to Congress a plan (including an estimate of the cost) for monitoring China's compliance with the commitments it makes as part of the accession. (Sec. 3) Directs the Comptroller General, in order to determine the degree to which China is complying with its WTO commitments and to obtain information about any problems encountered by U.S. businesses, to survey annually and report to Congress on the 50 U.S. companies doing the most business with China in exporting nonagricultural and agricultural goods, exporting or providing services, investing, or importing goods. Directs the International Trade Commission to report annually to Congress on United States-China bilateral export and import statistics, including, to the extent practicable, reconciling any differences in U.S.-source and Chinese-source data. (Sec. 4) Directs the United States Trade Representative (USTR), not later than one year after China accedes to the WTO, and annually thereafter, to report to Congress on China's compliance with its commitments under the WTO, including both multilateral commitments and any bilateral commitments made to the United States. (Sec. 5) Authorizes specified congressional committees to instruct the USTR to: (1) take appropriate trade relief action after initiating an investigation under the Trade Act of 1974 to determine if U.S. rights under any agreement are being denied, or an act, policy, or practice of China violates the provisions of, or otherwise denies benefits to the United States under, any trade agreement, or is unjustifiable and burdens or restricts U.S. commerce; or (2) initiate action before the Dispute Settlement Body of the WTO. Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to authorize the USTR, for purposes of making an affirmative determination with respect to an investigation, to draw an inference adverse to the interest of a country that fails or refuses to cooperate in the investigation. Directs the USTR, if he or she makes an affirmative determination with respect to China, to initiate an action before the Dispute Settlement Body, unless there exists another, more effective action. (Sec. 6) Expresses the sense of Congress that there should be a special multilateral process at the WTO for conducting an annual review of China's compliance with the commitments it makes as part of its accession to the WTO. Directs the USTR to propose that: (1) as part of the Trade Policy Review Mechanism of the WTO, a thorough review of China's trade policies be conducted each year; (2) the Trade Policy Review Mechanism be significantly enhanced and expanded in connection with the review of China; and (3) the Trade Policy Review Mechanism of China include onsite visits and active participation by representatives of WTO members. (Sec. 7) Directs the President to submit to Congress a plan for providing assistance to China to build the institutions necessary to carry out the obligations China has made as part of its accession to the WTO. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2000
Electric Power Market Competition and Reliability Act - Title I: Amendments to the Federal Power Act - Amends the Federal Power Act to: (1) place within the ambit of Federal regulation unbundled interstate transmission of electric energy sold at retail; and (2) place within the jurisdiction of the State within which the energy is consumed the bundled retail sale of electric energy, unbundled local distribution service, and unbundled retail sale of electric energy and attendant facilities. (Sec. 101) Directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to determine which electric energy delivery and transmission facilities fall within either Federal or State jurisdictions. (Sec. 102) Repeals the prohibition against mandatory retail wheeling and sham wholesale transactions. Precludes FERC authority to issue promulgations that require or are conditioned upon the transmission of electric energy directly to an ultimate consumer, or to or for the benefit of an electric or other utility if such electric energy would be sold directly to an ultimate consumer, unless applicable State law requires or permits the relevant seller to sell it to such consumer. (Sec. 103) Identifies areas within the ambit of State jurisdiction to impose public interest requirements, including: (1) distribution system reliability; (2) universal service; (3) assured service to low-income, rural, and remote consumers; (4) recovery of industry transition costs; and (5) transition costs of electricity workers adversely affected by restructuring. (Sec. 104) Prescribes procedural guidelines for FERC approval of: (1) regional transmission organizations; (2) transmission construction and expansion planning proposals; and (3) pricing policies for regional transmission organizations. (Sec. 105) Recognizes State authority to impose reciprocity requirements on an electric utility selling electric energy to an ultimate consumer in such State if the utility or any of its affiliates owns or controls transmission or local distribution facilities and is not itself providing unbundled local distribution service in a State in which it owns or operates a facility used for electric energy generation. (Sec. 107) Expresses the sense of Congress that public utilities are entitled to fully recover all prudently incurred wholesale and retail costs that become stranded as a result of changes in public policy with respect to competition and industry structure. Title II: Repeal of PURPA Mandatory Purchase Requirement - States that, with respect to new contracts, no electric utility shall be required to enter into a new contract or obligation to purchase or sell electricity or capacity under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA). Preserves existing contract rights and remedies under such Act. (Sec. 202) Requires FERC to promulgate and enforce regulations to ensure that an electric utility shall not be required to absorb costs associated with PURPA-mandated purchases of electricity or capacity from a qualifying cogeneration or small power production facility prior to the date of enactment of this Act. Title III: Electric Reliability - Amends the FPA to provide for the establishment and enforcement of mandatory reliability standards to ensure the reliable operation of the bulk-power system. Grants FERC jurisdiction over: (1) the Electric Reliability Organization; (2) all Affiliated Regional Reliability Entities (entities to which authority has been delegated to enforce compliance with reliability standards); (3) all System Operators, and all Users of the Bulk-Power System for purposes of approving and enforcing compliance with standards in the United States. Provides that, before establishment of the Electric Reliability Organization (Organization), any person (including the North American Electric Reliability Council and its member Regional Reliability Councils) shall file a proposed reliability standard, guidance, or practice which, subject to FERC approval, shall be mandatory and enforceable. (Sec. 301) Prescribes procedural guidelines for FERC approval of: (1) applications competing for status as the Electric Reliability Council; and (2) Organization Standards. Requires all Users of the Bulk-Power System to comply with such standards. Mandates that: (1) the Organization take all appropriate steps to gain recognition in Canada and Mexico; and (2) the United States use its best efforts to enter into international agreements with the governments of Canada and Mexico to effectuate compliance with Organization standards, and to provide for the effectiveness of the Organization's mission. Requires every System Operator to be a member of the Electric Reliability Organization, and of any Affiliated Regional Reliability Entity operating under an agreement applicable to the region in which the System Operator operates or is responsible for the operation of a Bulk-Power System facility. Empowers the Organization to take disciplinary and enforcement action. Directs the Organization to assess periodically the reliability and adequacy of the inter-connected Bulk-Power System in North America, and to report its findings and recommendations annually to FERC and to the Secretary. Provides for the assessment and recovery of implementation and enforcement costs incurred by the Organization and each Affiliated Regional Reliability Entity, respectively. (Sec. 302) Establishes a rebuttable presumption that activities undertaken pursuant to this Act by either the Electric Reliability Organization, its members, or members of an Affiliated Regional Reliability Entity to be in compliance with the antitrust laws. (Sec. 304) Instructs the Secretary of Energy, upon the petition of the Governors of at least two-thirds of the States within a region that have more than one-half of their electrical loads serviced within the region, to establish a regional advisory body to provide advice to an Affiliated Regional Reliability Entity, the Electric Reliability Organization, or FERC. Declares this title inapplicable to Alaska or Hawaii. Title IV: Repeal of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 and Enactment of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1999 - Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1999 - Repeals the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 effective one year after enactment of this title. (Sec. 405) Prescribes procedural guidelines for: (1) FERC access to records of a public utility or natural gas holding company (including subsidiaries, associates and affiliates); and (2) and State access to records of a public utility in a holding company system. (Sec. 407) Instructs FERC to promulgate a final rule to exempt from such Federal access requirements any holding company with respect to one or more: (1) qualifying facilities under PURPA; (2) exempt wholesale generators; or (3) foreign utility companies. Requires FERC to exempt any person or transaction from such access requirements if it finds that their regulation is irrelevant to the jurisdictional rates of a public utility or natural gas company. (Sec. 408) Retains the jurisdiction of FERC and State commissions to determine whether a public utility company or natural gas company may recover in rates any costs of affiliate transactions. (Sec. 409) Declares this Act inapplicable to: (1) the United States; (2) a State or its political subdivision; and (3) a foreign governmental authority not operating in the United States. (Sec. 411) Grants FERC certain FPA enforcement powers. (Sec. 414) Transfers from the Securities and Exchange Commission to FERC all books and records that relate primarily to the functions vested in FERC by this Act. (Sec. 415) Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 416) Amends the FPA to repeal its conflict of jurisdiction guidelines. Title V: Nuclear Decommissioning - Nuclear Decommissioning Assurance Act - Permits a nuclear power facility licensee to petition the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a determination of whether: (1) adequate amounts are deposited in its nuclear decommissioning trust fund; and (2) future funding for any nuclear power plant is assured for any nuclear power plant owned in whole or in part by such licensee. (Sec. 503) Sets a timeframe by which the NRC must issue a determination whether the nuclear decommissioning trust fund and the currently approved decommissioning recovery cost rates are adequate to ensure full and safe facility decommissioning. Details mandatory NRC considerations. (Sec. 504) Amends the Federal Power Act to authorize any entity, including a public power entity, responsible for decommissioning a nuclear power facility in whole or in part, which has obtained an NRC finding under this title, to petition FERC for an order approving rates and charges in connection with the transmission or wholesale sale of electric energy to collect all or part of the revenues necessary to ensure adequate funding to satisfy its decommissioning obligations. Instructs FERC to: (1) find certain decommissioning costs and revenue requirements, determined necessary by the NRC, to be just and reasonable, prudently incurred, and recoverable in transaction or wholesale rates; (2) find the remainder of such costs which are not recovered to be just and reasonable, prudently incurred, and recoverable through a nonbypassable charge or rate; and (3) enforce any rule or order designed to ensure collection of adequate decommissioning revenues.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 2000
Social Security Earnings Test Elimination Act of 2000 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to repeal the limitation on the amount of outside income which beneficiaries who have attained retirement age may earn (earnings test) without incurring a reduction in benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 2000
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a gold medal to John Cardinal O'Connor, Archbishop of New York, in recognition of his accomplishments as a priest, a soldier, and a humanitarian. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates. Authorizes appropriations.
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
Motorists Privacy Act of 2000 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit any person from installing, posting, operating, or otherwise using an electronic measurement unit (defined as a device that determines the radio frequency of a radio receiver within a passing vehicle).
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
Pardon Attorney Reform and Integrity Act - States that if the President delegates to the Attorney General (AG) the responsibility for investigating or reviewing a potential grant of executive clemency the AG shall prepare and make available to the President a written report describing the AG's efforts to: (1) inform the victims of each offense that is the subject of the potential grant of clemency that they may submit written statements for inclusion in the AG's report; (2) determine the opinions of law enforcement and judicial personnel involved as to the efficacy of granting a person clemency; (3) determine the opinions of Federal, State, and local law enforcement officials as to whether the person involved may have information relevant to any ongoing investigation or prosecution or effort to apprehend a fugitive; and (4) determine the opinion of Federal, State, and local law enforcement or intelligence agencies regarding the effect that such grant of clemency would have on the threat of terrorism or other ongoing or future criminal activity. Requires notification to the victims of: (1) the possible grant of clemency; and (2) the granting of such clemency and the person's release from custody.
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 · 26 January 2000
Amends the Internal Revenue Code (as amended by the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999) to repeal revisions to the Code (made by the Act) which repealed the use of the installment method of accounting for accrual method taxpayers and modified the pledge rules of installment obligations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1999
Agricultural Market Access and Development Act of 1999 - Amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to increase FY 2000 through 2002 funding caps for the market access program. Authorizes and sets forth the conditions under which unexpended Commodity Credit Corporation export enhancement program funds may be used for market access or development programs. Establishes FY 2000 through 2002 minimum funding amounts for the foreign market development cooperator program.
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
Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Amendments Act of 1999 - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions concerning the special rules for allocation of the generation-skipping tax (GST) exemption to provide, as a general rule, that: (1) if any individual makes an indirect skip during such individual's lifetime, any unused portion of such individual's GST exemption shall be allocated to the property transferred to the extent necessary to make the inclusion ratio for such property zero; and (2) if the amount of the indirect skip exceeds such unused portion, the entire unused portion shall be allocated to the property transferred. Requires the trusts resulting from a qualified severance to be treated as separate trusts. Revises valuation rules concerning gifts for which a gift tax return was filed or a deemed allocation was made. Requires regulations permitting the granting of extensions of time to make an allocation of a GST exemption.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 1999
Outfitter Policy Act of 1999 - Prohibits unauthorized outfitters from conducting commercial outfitted activities on Federal land. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service (with respect to Federal land administered by the Forest Service), and the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, or the Commissioner of Reclamation (with respect to Federal land administered by the BLM, Fish and Wildlife Service, or Bureau of Reclamation, respectively), to establish criteria for awarding outfitter permits, including the identification of skilled, experienced, and financially capable persons to offer commercial outfitted activities. Sets forth procedures for awarding permits and describes permit requirements. Provides for a noncompetitive selection process and limited outfitter authorizations under certain conditions. (Sec. 7) Requires fees for outfitter authorizations. (Sec. 8) Requires authorized outfitters to defend and indemnify the United States for costs or expenses associated with injury, death, or damage to any person or property caused by negligence or wanton disregard for persons or property arising out of an outfitter's activities. Absolves outfitters of any liability to the United States or third parties absent a finding of negligence or disregard for persons or property or for injury, death, or damage resulting from the inherent risks of a commercial outfitted activity. (Sec. 9) Requires the appropriate Secretary to provide principal use allocations to authorized outfitters under permits. Authorizes the Secretary to adjust an allocation of use assigned to an authorized outfitter to reflect material change arising from approval of a change in the resource management plan for the area of operation or requirements arising under other law. Permits temporary allocations of use for a period of up to two years and the renewal, transfer, or extension of such allocations at the Secretary's discretion. (Sec. 10) Requires the Secretary to develop a process for annual evaluation of the performance of authorized outfitters. (Sec. 11) Directs the Secretary to renew an authorization at the outfitter's request if the outfitter has received no more than one unsatisfactory annual performance rating during the permit term. Authorizes termination of a permit only if the outfitter: (1) fails to correct conditions that are considered significant with respect to the health and welfare of outfitted visitors or conservation of resources; (2) is repeatedly in arrears in the payment of fees; or (3) demonstrates disregard for the health and welfare of visitors or conservation of resources on which the outfitted activities are conducted. (Sec. 12) Makes outfitter permits transferable to qualified transferees under specified conditions. Deems a transfer approved if the Secretary fails to confer approval or disapproval within a prescribed time frame. (Sec. 13) Sets forth recordkeeping requirements for authorized outfitters. (Sec. 14) Requires the Secretary to: (1) grant authorized outfitters full access to administrative remedies under the Secretary's authority at the time of an appeal; and (2) establish an expedited procedure for consideration of appeals of Federal agency decisions to deny, suspend, fail to renew, or terminate a permit. Allows authorized outfitters adversely affected by a decision of the Secretary under this Act to commence civil actions. (Sec. 15) Directs the Secretary to manage the occupancy and use of Federal land by institutional recreation programs that conduct outfitted activities under this Act. (Sec. 19) Entitles outfitters that hold existing permits, contracts, or other authorizations to issuance of permits under this Act if their recent performance was determined good, satisfactory, or acceptable, or the equivalent.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 1999
Small Community Assistance Act of 1999 - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a small community advisory committee or reconstitute an existing small community advisory committee. Directs the Administrator to develop and implement a plan to increase the involvement of small communities in the regulatory review processes conducted under the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, and title II of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995. Directs each EPA regional office to establish a Small Town Ombudsman Office to serve as an advocate for small communities and a facilitator for addressing small community concerns and programs. Requires the Offices to establish a regular, ongoing consultation process with small communities to involve them in the process of implementing, creating, and informing the public about environmental regulations, guidance, and policies and provide other appropriate assistance. Directs the Offices to survey small communities every five years to provide information for use in regulatory planning, development, and outreach. Requires the Administrator to distribute to small communities a guide to Federal environmental requirements for small communities. Directs the Administrator to implement a plan for periodically obtaining feedback from small communities on the effectiveness of EPA in involving such communities in regulatory development and implementation and reaching out to such communities to provide educational and other assistance. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 1999
Amends the Clean Air Act to authorize a State Governor, upon notification of the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to waive oxygen content requirements for reformulated gasoline sold or dispensed in the State. Considers gasoline that complies with all other requirements for reformulated gasoline other than those regarding oxygen content to be reformulated gasoline. Directs the Administrator to study and report to Congress on whether voluntary standards to prevent and control releases of methyl tertiary butyl ether from underground storage tanks are necessary. Authorizes the Administrator to work with members of affected industries to develop such standards.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 1999
Congratulates the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, its staff, and volunteers for their commitment to our national defense, for their contribution of time and talent, and for maintaining the much needed support of employers and communities for the National Guard and Reserve.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 1999
Declares that a specified final rule relating to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network and the equitable and medically effective allocation of organs for transplantation shall have no force or legal effect. Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from implementing or exercising further regulatory authority regarding the Network, as well as regulatory authority under specified provisions of the Social Security Act (SSA) (relating to general SSA regulations, disclosure of information, organ procurement, and general Medicare regulations), before the enactment of amendments to reauthorize and revise provisions of the Public Health Service Act relating to organ transplants.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 1999
Directs the Secretary of the Interior, upon request of the Governor of Alaska, to certify to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives that a bill or resolution has been passed by the Alaska State Legislature which, if approved, would amend the Alaska State Constitution to enable the implementation of State laws consistent with specified provisions of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act which authorize, and provide for local and regional participation in, the taking of fish and wildlife on public lands in Alaska for nonwasteful subsistence uses. Requires, after such certification, grants to Alaska to fulfill such responsibilities. Outlines specified restrictions on Federal action to manage or assert jurisdiction over land, water, and wild, renewable resources in Alaska for subsistence uses, effective on the date of the above certification (with exceptions). Requires the participation of, and consultation with, Alaska Native Corporations and other Alaska Native entities in undertaking activities to implement such State laws. States that this Act has no effect on any Alaska title claim to any tidal or submerged Alaska lands.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 1999
Craig Municipal Equity Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) convey all Federal interests in specified lands to the City of Craig, Alaska; and (2) establish an escrow account to hold proceeds derived after enactment of this Act from contracts, leases, permits, rights-of-way, or easements pertaining to the land to be conveyed and provide for disbursement of those funds, plus interest, to the City when the land is conveyed. Prohibits: (1) timber harvested from land conveyed to the City from being exported as unprocessed logs from Alaska; and (2) the City from selling, trading, substituting, or otherwise conveying that timber to any person for export from Alaska. Provides that the land conveyed under this Act shall be considered in lieu of land not conveyed at statehood for the purpose of furthering development and expansion of the City.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 1999
Climate Change Energy Policy Response Act - Title I: Energy Policy Coordination - Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to prescribe procedural guidelines for the Secretary of Energy to coordinate all energy-related activities involving climate change. Title II: Advancement of Climate Change Science - Directs the Secretary to coordinate, prioritize, and evaluate federally funded research conducted under the aegis of Federal agencies that involves climate change science. Title III: Comprehensive Policy Review and Analysis - Instructs the Secretary to transmit to Congress and the President a critical analysis and assessment of energy-related policies for responding to potential global climate change. Title IV: Public Right to Know - Directs the Secretary to: (1) publish a detailed report on Federal spending for climate change; and (2) maintain a National Resource Center on Climate Change. Title V: Accelerated Development and Deployment of Response Technology - Requires the Secretary to: (1) issue an annual review and report on federally funded research and development activities regarding energy technology; and (2) establish an information clearinghouse to facilitate the transfer and dissemination of the results of such federally funded research. Directs the Comptroller General to identify and evaluate regulatory barriers to rapid deployment of technology domestically and internationally for greenhouse gas emission reductions, and recommend to Congress changes that would facilitate expedited technology deployment. Title VI: International Deployment of Energy Technology to Mitigate Climate Change - Sets guidelines under which the Secretary is directed to provide for a pilot program for financial assistance for qualifying international energy deployment projects. Title VII: Optimal Operating Efficiency of Transportation Systems - Amends Federal law governing surface transportation research to direct the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences to study and report on the efficacy of various regional approaches to reducing traffic congestion; and (2) fund an analytical report regarding highway design concepts to relieve urban area congestion without acquisition of additional rights-of-way. Authorizes appropriations. Title VIII: Voluntary Initiatives - Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to direct the Secretary to: (1) revise guidelines governing the voluntary collection and reporting of information on sources of greenhouse gases to reflect the amendments made by this Act; and (2) create and implement a public awareness program regarding the benefits of certification of voluntary emission reductions. Affirms continuance of State action designed to mitigate the financial risks to persons who engage in voluntary steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 1999
Calls for the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend and the Postal Service to issue a commemorative postage stamp in honor of the U.S.S. Wisconsin and those who served on that vessel.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 1999
Congratulates Henry "Hank" Aaron on his great achievements in baseball and recognizes him as one of the greatest professional baseball players of all times. Commends him for his commitment to young people, earning him a permanent place in both sports history and American society.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 1999
Leif Ericson Millennium Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue one-dollar silver coins, in conjunction with the simultaneous minting and issuance of commemorative coins by the Republic of Iceland, in commemoration of the millennium of the discovery of the New World by Leif Ericson. Mandates that all coin surcharges be paid to the Leifur Eirikson Foundation for the purpose of funding student exchanges between the United States and Iceland.
![Official portrait of Sen. Murkowski, Frank H. [R-AK]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m001085_200.jpg)