The world's political record
Person
![Official portrait of Sen. Santorum, Rick [R-PA]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s000059_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
2,390 records where Sen. Santorum, Rick [R-PA] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 1998
Amends the Federal judicial code to transfer Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, from the State's Eastern Judicial District to its Middle Judicial District.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Patients' Bill of Rights Subtitle A: Right to Advice and Care Subtitle B: Right to Information about Plans and Providers Subtitle C: Right to Hold Health Plans Accountable Title II: Individual Rights with Respect to Personal Medical Information Subtitle A: Access to Medical Records Subtitle B: Establishment of Safeguards Subtitle C: Enforcement; Definitions Title III: Genetic Information and Services Title IV: Healthcare Quality Research Title V: Women's Health Research and Prevention Subtitle A: Provisions Relating to Women's Health Research at the National Institutes of Health Subtitle B: Provisions Relating to Women's Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Subtitle C: Women's Health and Cancer Rights Title VI: Enhanced Access to Health Insurance Coverage Patients' Bill of Rights Act - Title I: Patients' Bill of Rights - Subtitle A: Right to Advice and Care - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to require a group health plan covering emergency medical care to provide coverage, without requiring preauthorization, for appropriate emergency medical screening examinations to the extent that a prudent layperson, possessing an average knowledge of health and medicine, would determine such examinations to be necessary to determine whether emergency medical care is necessary. (Sec. 101) Requires a plan to cover additional emergency medical services following such an examination to the extent that a prudent emergency medical professional would determine such services to be necessary to avoid specified serious consequences. Requires a plan (other than a small employer's plan) providing benefit coverage only through a defined set of participating health care professionals to offer the option of point-of-service coverage (of the same benefits provided by a nonparticipating health care professional), unless the plan offers multiple issuer or coverage options. Requires any plan offering gynecological, obstetric, or pediatric care not to require prior authorization from a participant's primary care provider if such provider is not a gynecologist, obstetrician, or pediatrician. Requires a plan to permit a participant or beneficiary undergoing a course of treatment to continue such treatment for a period of time even though the contract between the plan and a health care provider is terminated, or the schedule of benefits or coverage is terminated by a change in the terms of the provider's participation in the plan. Specifies a 90-day continuation of coverage generally, and other transitional periods for institutionalization (until discharge), pregnancy (through post-partum care), and terminal illness (remainder of life). Declares that a plan shall not prohibit a health care professional from advising a patient about the patient's health status, medical care, or treatment for the patient's condition or disease, regardless of whether coverage for such care or treatment is provided under the contract, if the professional is acting within the lawful scope of the practice. Applies the requirements of this subtitle to group health plans, but not to a health insurance issuer licensed by a State and subject to State insurance regulation while engaged in the business of insurance in such State. Subtitle B: Right to Information about Plans and Providers - Requires plans and group health insurance issuers to disclose specified plan information to enrollees and (upon request) potential enrollees. (Sec. 112) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to contract with the Institute of Medicine for a study and report to the appropriate congressional committees on: (1) health care professionals information currently available to patients, consumers, States, and professional societies, nationally and on a State-by-State basis; (2) the legal and other barriers to the sharing of information about health care professionals; and (3) recommendations for disclosure of such information on health care professionals, including their competencies and professional qualifications, to better facilitate patient choice, quality improvement, and market competition. Subtitle C: Right to Hold Health Plans Accountable - Revises requirements for plan provision of a procedure for appealing denied claims. (Sec. 121) Requires a plan or health insurance issuer conducting utilization review to have: (1) specified procedures in place for coverage determinations, including expedited determinations; (2) written procedures for addressing grievances between a plan and enrollees; (3) an internal procedure for coverage determination appeals; and (4) an external review procedure for enrollee appeals, involving specified entities and independent medical experts, whose determination shall be binding. Prescribes external review standards. Directs the General Accounting Office to study and report to the appropriate congressional committees on a statistically appropriate sample of completed external reviews. Title II: Individual Rights with Respect to Personal Medical Information - Personal Medical Information Access Act - Subtitle A: Access to Medical Records - Amends ERISA to require any health care provider, health plan, employer, health or life insurer, school, or university, except in specified circumstances, to: (1) permit an individual who is the subject of protected health information (or the individual's designee) to inspect and copy protected health information concerning the individual; (2) amend such information upon the individual's request; and (3) make reasonable efforts to inform any person to whom the unamended portion of the information was previously disclosed of any nontechnical amendment that has been made. (Sec. 212) Prescribes procedures for: (1) an entity's denial of a request to amend such information; and (2) an individual's filing of a statement of disagreement with such denial, which shall accompany any subsequent disclosure of the disputed portion of the information. (Sec. 213) Requires any health care provider, health plan, employer, health or life insurer, school, or university to post notice of the entity's confidentiality practices, including specified information. Requires the Secretary to develop and disseminate model notices of confidentiality practices. Subtitle B: Establishment of Safeguards - Requires any health care provider, health plan, employer, health or life insurer, school, or university to establish and maintain appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect the confidentiality, security, accuracy, and integrity of protected health information the entity creates, receives, obtains, maintains, uses, transmits, or disposes of. Subtitle C: Enforcement; Definitions - Prescribes civil money penalties for substantial and material failure to comply with this Act. (Sec. 232) Sets forth definitions. Title III: Genetic Information and Services - Genetic Information Nondiscrimination in Health Insurance Act of 1998 - Amends ERISA, the Public Health Service Act (PHSA), and the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit a health care plan or health insurance issuer from restricting enrollment or adjusting premium or contribution amounts for a group on the basis of predictive genetic information concerning an individual in the group or a family member of the individual (including information about a request for or receipt of genetic services). (Sec. 302) Prohibits a plan or issuer from requesting or requiring predictive genetic information concerning an individual or a family member of the individual (including information about a request for or receipt of genetic services). Permits a plan or issuer to request, but not require, such information for diagnosis, treatment, or payment purposes only. Title IV: Healthcare Quality Research - Healthcare Quality Research Act of 1998 - Amends PHSA to establish within the Public Health Service (PHS) an Agency for Healthcare Quality Research to replace the current Agency for Health Care Policy and Research. (Sec. 402) Directs the Agency to identify and disseminate methods or systems used to assess healthcare research results, particularly to rate the strength of the scientific evidence behind healthcare practice and technology recommendations in the research. Requires the Agency to employ research strategies and mechanisms that will link research directly with clinical practice in geographically diverse locations throughout the United States, including: (1) Healthcare Improvement Research Centers that combine demonstrated multidisciplinary expertise in outcomes or quality improvement research with linkages to relevant sites of care; (2) Practice-based Research Networks, including plan, facility, or delivery system sites of care (especially primary care), that can evaluate and promote quality improvement; and (3) other innovative mechanisms or strategies. Directs the Agency to: (1) award grants to enable eligible entities at geographically diverse locations throughout the United States to carry out research training programs dedicated to health services research training at the doctoral, post-doctoral, and junior faculty levels; and (2) provide specified scientific and technical support for private and public efforts to improve healthcare quality, including accrediting organizations. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Agency Director, to establish a demonstration program of grants for one or more centers to conduct: (1) state-of-the-art clinical research on drugs, biological products, and devices; (2) research on the comparative effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and safety of drugs, biological products, and devices; and (3) other appropriate activities (excluding the review of new drugs). Requires the Agency Director to: (1) collect certain data on the cost and quality of healthcare; (2) support research on and initiatives to advance the use of information systems for the study of healthcare quality; and (3) provide ongoing administrative, research, and technical support for the Preventive Services Task Force, which shall review scientific evidence on the effectiveness, appropriateness, and cost-effectiveness of clinical preventive services regarding their usefulness in daily clinical practice. Establishes within the Agency a Center for Primary Care Delivery Research to serve as the principal funding source for HHS primary care delivery research and demonstrations with respect to the first contact when illness or health concerns arise, the diagnosis, treatment or referral to specialty care, preventive care, and the relationship between the clinician and the patient in the context of the family and community. Requires the Agency Director by specified activities to promote innovation in evidence-based clinical practice and healthcare technologies. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to coordinate all research, evaluations, and demonstrations related to health services research and quality measurement and improvement activities undertaken and supported by the Federal Government. Requires the Secretary to contract with the Institute of Medicine to: (1) describe and evaluate current quality improvement research and monitoring processes; and (2) recommend options to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of such processes, and optimize public- private sector accreditation bodies. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director, to establish a nonprofit, nongovernmental Foundation for Healthcare Research, which shall: (1) support the Agency and foster public-private partnerships to support Agency programs and activities; (2) advance collaboration with healthcare researchers from universities, industry, and nonprofit organizations; and (4) develop linkages with users of healthcare and quality research. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Agency Director, to make grants each fiscal year to support the Foundation. Establishes an Advisory Council for Healthcare Quality Research to replace the current Advisory Council for Health Care Policy, Research, and Evaluation. Requires the Agency Director to establish technical and scientific peer review groups to review each application for a grant, cooperative agreement, or contract under this title. Repeals the mandates for: (1) a demonstration program regarding centers for education and research on therapeutics; and (2) the Office of the Forum for Quality and Effectiveness in Health Care. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 404) Requires the Secretary, within 30 days after enactment of any Act providing for a qualifying health care benefit, to evaluate scientifically and report to the appropriate congressional committees on: (1) the safety, efficacy, cost, benefits and value of such benefit; (2) alternative approaches in improving care compared with such benefit; and (3) the benefit's overall impact on health care as measured through research. Title V: Women's Health Research and Prevention - Women's Health Research and Prevention Amendments of 1998 - Subtitle A: Provisions Relating to Women's Health Research at the National Institutes of Health - Amends PHSA to extend the authorization of appropriations for research on the drug diethylstilbestrol (commonly known as DES). Directs the Secretary, acting through PHS agency heads, to carry out a national program to educate health professionals and the public about DES. (Sec. 512) Extends the authorization of appropriations for research on: (1) osteoporosis, Paget's disease, and related bone disorders; (2) breast and ovarian cancers; and (3) aging processes relating to women. (Sec. 514) Requires the Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to expand, intensify, and coordinate research and related activities with respect to heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases in women. (Sec. 516) Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (currently, the Director of the Office of Research on Women's Health) to appoint members of the Advisory Committee on Research on Women's Health. Subtitle B: Provisions Relating to Women's Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Amends PHSA to extend the authorization of appropriations for: (1) the National Center for Health Statistics; (2) the National Program of Cancer Registries; (3) the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program; (4) Centers for Research and Demonstration of Health Promotion; and (5) community programs on domestic violence. (Sec. 523) Authorizes a State receiving a Federal grant to make grants to or contract with for-profit private entities to carry out programs of preventive health measures for breast and cervical cancers. Subtitle C: Women's Health and Cancer Rights - Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998 - Amends ERISA, PHSA, and the Internal Revenue Code to require certain group health plans and health insurance issuers to ensure specified minimum coverage regarding: (1) breast cancer mastectomies, lumpectomies, and lymph node dissections; (2) post-mastectomy breast reconstruction on both breasts; and (3) the costs of prostheses and complications of mastectomy, including lymphedemas. Prohibits: (1) denial of eligibility to a patient, and other related practices, solely to avoid the requirements of this subtitle; (2) incentives or rebates to encourage individuals to accept less than the minimum coverage; and (2) certain penalties or incentives to providers to evade application of this subtitle. (Sec. 535) Amends PHSA to apply the same requirements to health insurance issuers in the individual market. (Sec. 537) Directs the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research to study and report to the appropriate congressional committees on the scientific issues relating to prevention and treatment of breast cancer. Title VI: Enhanced Access to Health Insurance Coverage - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow the annual carryover of up to $500 of unused benefits from cafeteria plans, flexible spending arrangements, and health flexible spending accounts; (2) allow a full deduction from gross income of the health insurance costs of self-employed individuals; and (3) repeal the limitation of the availability of medical savings accounts (MSAs) to employees of small employers and the self-employed. (Sec. 603) Reduces from $1,500 to $1,000 (self-only coverage) and from $3,000 to $2,000 (family coverage) the minimum annual deductible of a high deductible health plan. Revises the formula for the monthly limitation on the allowable deduction for MSAs to increase the contribution limit to 100 percent of the annual deductible under a high deductible health plan. Waives the additional tax on MSA distributions not used for qualified medical expenses to the extent any payment or distribution does not reduce the fair market value of the MSA assets to an amount less than the annual deductible for the account holder's high deductible health plan. (Sec. 604) Authorizes the Office of Personnel Management to contract for or approve catastrophic FEHBP plans, whose covered expenses exceed $500. Amends Federal civil service law, with respect to Government contributions under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), to require an additional Government contribution, according to a certain formula, to an individual's MSA with respect to a catastrophic plan. Increases the Government's biweekly contribution to an employee's or annuitant's FEHBP catastrophic plan from 75 percent to 100 percent of the subscription charge.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1998
Provides that any agreement with a State (or any modification thereof) entered into for coverage of State and local government employees under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act may, at the State's option, be modified at any time before January 1, 2000, to exclude service performed in the employ of a school, college, or university by a student enrolled and regularly attending classes at such institution. Makes any such modification irrevocable.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 1998
Home Health Access Preservation Act of 1998 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), as amended by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, with respect to the computation formula of the interim system of limited payments for services provided by home health agencies, in order to mandate a new interim system, as of October 1, 1998, with a revised formula and specific amounts for the agency-specific per beneficiary annual limitation, according to the census division in which an agency is located. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) estimate the amount of savings (if any) to Medicare resulting from this Act for each fiscal year beginning after FY 1998 and before the first fiscal year in which the prospective payment system (PPS) for home health agencies applies; (2) prescribe rules for increased payments to such an agency, if there will be estimated savings; and (3) establish procedures to provide heightened scrutiny of claims for reimbursement under Medicare for items and services provided to certain agency beneficiaries. Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a three percent increase in per visit cost limits for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 1997. Directs the Secretary to meet every 90 days with appropriate congressional committee staff to provide informal updates of progress in implementing the PPS above.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 1998
Gateway Visitor Center Authorization Act of 1998 - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to enter into an agreement with the Gateway Visitor Center Corporation to facilitate the construction and operation of the Gateway Visitor Center on Independence Mall, in Philadelphia. Authorizes: (1) the Corporation to operate the Center in cooperation with the Secretary and to provide at the Center information, interpretation, facilities, and services to visitors of Independence National Historical Park, its surrounding historic sites, the city of Philadelphia, and the region and to engage in activities appropriate for operation of a regional visitor center; and (2) the Secretary to undertake, at the Center, activities relating to the management of the Park. Requires revenues from the operation of the Center's facilities and services to be used to pay for the Center's operation expenses. Declares that nothing in this Act authorizes the Secretary or the Corporation to take any action in derogation of the preservation and protection of the values and resources of the Park.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1998
Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to extend through FY 2001 the authorization of appropriations for: (1) the Federal Council on the Aging; (2) administration; (3) grants for State and community programs on aging; (4) the availability of surplus commodities; (5) training, research, and discretionary projects and programs; (6) community service employment for older Americans; (7) grants for Native Americans; (8) allotments for Vulnerable Elder Rights Protection activities; and (9) the Native American program.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 1998
Continued Dumping or Subsidy Offset Act of 1998 - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to declare that, whenever continued dumping or subsidization is found to exist by the administering authority or by operation of law, any duties assessed shall be distributed as continued dumping or subsidy offsets to the affected domestic producers for qualifying expenditures on an annual basis. Limits qualifying expenditures to expenditures incurred since the issuance of the antidumping duty finding or order or countervailing duty order in any or all of the categories of plant, equipment, research and development (R&D), personnel training, acquisition of technology, employer-paid employee health care and pension benefits, and environmental equipment, training or technology. Directs the Commissioner of the U.S. Customs Service to prescribe offset disbursement procedures. Sets forth general procedures for notification of eligible parties. Requires the Commissioner to establish a special account in the Treasury to receive all antidumping or countervailing duties, including interest, for distribution according to this Act, within 14 days after an antidumping or countervailing duty order takes effect.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 1998
Amends the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Research Act of 1978, as amended by the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998, to provide that at the request of the Governor of Maine, New Hampshire, New York, or Vermont, the Secretary of Agriculture may cooperate with certain agricultural research programs. Amends the Honey Research, Promotion, and Consumer Information Act, as amended by the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Educational Reform Act of 1998, to increase the honey assessment rate.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1998
Lackawanna Valley American Heritage Area Act of 1998 - Establishes the Lackawanna Valley American Heritage Area in Pennsylvania. Requires the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority (the management entity for the Area) to develop and submit to the Secretary for approval a management plan that presents comprehensive recommendations for the conservation, funding, management, and development of the Area. Prohibits the use of Federal funds received under this Act to acquire real property or interest therein. Authorizes the Secretary, at the request of the management entity, to provide technical and financial assistance to the management entity to develop and implement the management plan. Terminates any grant or other assistance under this Act after September 30, 2012. Authorizes appropriations. Limits the Federal share of the cost of activities carried out using any assistance or grant under this Act to 50 percent.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1998
Federal Research Investment Act - Calls for Federal funding levels for fundamental, scientific, and pre-competitive engineering research to be increased to equal approximately 2.6 percent of the total annual Federal budget. Authorizes appropriations for civilian research and development (R&D) within specified agencies for FY 1999 through 2010. Directs the President to include with the annual budget request a report concerning Federal R&D program funding, future R&D strategies and targets, and an analysis of funding levels across Federal agencies by funding methodology. Requires the Director of the Office of Science Technology Policy (OSTP) to enter in an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a comprehensive study to develop methods for evaluating federally-funded R&D programs. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), based on study results, to promulgate one or more alternative forms for Federal R&D performance goals. Permits an agency head to apply such an alternative form without further authorization by OMB. Requires agency heads carrying out R&D activities, upon updating a strategic plan, to describe the current and future use of methods for determining an acceptable level of R&D success as recommended by the study. Authorizes appropriations for the study. Requires: (1) the OMB Director, based upon program performance reports, to identify the civilian R&D program activities or components which do not meet an acceptable level of success; (2) an agency head to submit to the appropriate congressional committees a concise statement of the steps needed to terminate a program activity or component identified as being below the acceptable level of success for two consecutive fiscal years; (3) such a program to be terminated unless the Directors of OSTP and OMB and the agency head determine that it should be continued; and (4) the statement of termination to recommend disposition of unexpended and unobligated funds from terminated programs.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1998
Biomass and Coal Facilities Extension Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the placed-in-service date for biomass and coal facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1998
Lewis and Clark Expedition Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue one-dollar and half-dollar coins emblematic of the expedition of Lewis and Clark. Allocates surcharges from coin sales between the National Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Council and the National Park Service for activities associated with the bicentennial commemoration of the expedition.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1998
Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to certain reacquisitions of real property to allow an election of deduction in lieu of basis increase where indebtedness secured by property has original issue discount and is held by a cash method taxpayer.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1998
Superfund Recycling Equity Act of 1998 - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to absolve persons (other than owners or operators) who arranged for the recycling of recyclable material from liability for environmental response actions. Deems transactions involving scrap paper, plastic, glass, textiles, or rubber (other than whole tires) to be arranging for recycling if the person who arranged the transaction demonstrates that the following criteria were met: (1) the recyclable material met a commercial specification grade and a market existed for the material; (2) a substantial portion of the material was made available for use as a feedstock for the manufacture of a new saleable product; (3) the material (or product to be made from the material) could have been a replacement for a virgin raw material; and (4) with respect to transactions occurring 90 days after this Act's enactment, the person exercised reasonable care to determine that the facility where the material would be managed by another was in compliance with Federal, State, or local environmental laws or regulations. Deems transactions involving scrap metal to be arranging for recycling if the person who arranged the transaction demonstrates that: (1) the criteria for scrap materials were met; (2) he or she complied with applicable standards regarding activities associated with the recycling of scrap metals; and (3) the scrap metal was not melted prior to the transaction. Deems transactions involving spent lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, or other batteries to be arranging for recycling if the person involved demonstrates that: (1) the criteria for scrap materials were met; and (2) he or she complied with applicable Federal environmental regulations or standards regarding such batteries. Makes the exemptions from liability under this Act inapplicable if the person: (1) had an objectively reasonable basis to believe at the time of the recycling transaction that the recyclable material would not be recycled or would be burned as fuel or for energy recovery or incineration or that the consuming facility was not in compliance with Federal, State, or local environmental laws or regulations; (2) had reason to believe that hazardous substances had been added to the material for purposes other than processing for recycling; or (3) failed to exercise reasonable care with respect to the management of the material. Makes such exemptions inapplicable if the recyclable material contained polychlorinated biphenyls in excess of 50 parts per million or any new Federal standard or if such material is an item of scrap paper containing, at the time of recycling, a concentration of a hazardous substance determined to present a significant human health or environmental risk.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1998
Disapproves the rule submitted by the Health Care Financing Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, on June 1, 1998, relating to surety bond requirements for home health agencies under titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1998
Lethal Drug Abuse Prevention Act of 1998 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to require the Attorney General to determine that registration of an applicant to manufacture, distribute, conduct research with, or dispense specified controlled substances or listed chemicals is inconsistent with the public interest if: (1) during the five-year period immediately preceding submission of the application, the applicant's registration was revoked; or (2) the Attorney General determines, based on clear and convincing evidence, that the applicant is applying for the registration with the intention of using such registration to violate CSA provisions. Authorizes the Attorney General to suspend or revoke a registration upon a finding that the registrant has intentionally dispensed or distributed a controlled substance with a purpose of causing, or assisting in causing, the suicide, euthanasia, or mercy killing of any individual. Directs the Attorney General to establish the Medical Review Board on Pain Relief, which, based on a hearing, shall make findings regarding whether a particular action at issue is an appropriate means to relieve pain that does not constitute a violation of such provision.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1998
Vaccinate America's Children Now Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the tax on vaccines from 75 cents per dose to 25 cents per dose.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1998
Federal Accountability and Institutional Reform in Education Act of 1998 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to revise requirements for student loan cohort default management. Requires guaranty agreements, with regard to due diligence in insured loan collection efforts, to require proof that the institution and the State licensing board were contacted. Requires guaranty agreements to prohibit reimbursement to a guaranty agency upon default claim unless the agency demonstrates that (currently, certifies) diligent attempts, including direct contact with the institution and the State licensing board, have been made. Adds requirements relating to: (1) institutional ineligibility periods; (2) correction of inaccuracies in institutional cohort default rates, and exceptions from such calculations; and (3) publication dates for certain annual reports. (Sec. 3) Prohibits the Secretary from reimbursing or permitting any eligible lender, servicer, or guaranty agency (or its affiliates) which previously filed a claim for reimbursement on a loan to retain any proceeds from subsequent collection of a defaulted loan to the extent that such funds, when added to the amount of prior reimbursement, exceed 100 percent of the original principal of the loan. Revises requirements relating to notice to the Secretary, payment of loss, notice to institutions of credit bureau information, and cohort default rate. Directs the Secretary to: (1) report annually to the Congress that lenders, servicers and guaranty agencies have demonstrated their compliance with servicing and due diligence requirements; and (2) provide information on the successful practices of low-default lenders, servicers, and guaranty agencies to other financial, servicing, and guaranty institutions participating in HEA student aid programs, to encourage duplication of successful servicing and collection programs. Requires uniform application to all eligible institutions of certain mitigating circumstances which allow an institution to continue in the student loan insurance program despite a high default rate for its three most recent fiscal years. Limits such circumstances to the following: (1) at least 50 percent of the students enrolled in eligible programs qualify for a Pell grant; (2) an institution's student completion rate is 60 percent or greater; and (3) the initial job placement rate of program graduates is 60 percent or greater. (Sec. 4) Provides for: (1) judicial review of any final determination of the Secretary concerning eligibility for, or the terms of participation in, any student loan or grant program; as well as (2) injunctive relief from such determination. (Sec. 5) Requires an institution, at its request, to have access to a complete copy of loan servicing and collection records when appealing, on the basis of alleged improper loan servicing, a loss of eligibility for Federal student loan programs. (Sec. 6) Provides for standard (ten-year), extended (30-year), graduated (30-year), and income-sensitive (25-year) repayment plans for insured, guaranteed, consolidated, and direct loans. Directs the Secretary to discharge a borrower's liability by repaying the holder of a loan subject to an income-sensitive repayment plan the amount of remaining unpaid principal and interest after the borrower has completed 25 years of repayment in accordance with such plan. (Sec. 7) Declares that certain types of student loans shall not be considered in default for any purpose under this paragraph if the borrower is making regularly scheduled payments towards the repayment of the borrower's loan obligation in the amount required by the borrower's repayment plan, even if those payments are not sufficient to pay the interest accruing on a monthly or quarterly basis (negative amortization waiver). (Sec. 8) Revises certain requirements for interest rates for consolidation loans under the Federal Family Education Loan program. Provides for consolidation of new student loans for which no interest subsidy may be paid along with Federal Stafford loans on which the Secretary shall continue making such interest subsidies. (Sec. 9) Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to establish in the Department a Liaison for Proprietary Institutions of Higher Education, who shall be an officer of the Department appointed by the Secretary. Requires the Liaison to: (1) advise the Secretary on matters affecting proprietary institutions of higher education; (2) guide programs within the Department that involve functions affecting proprietary institutions of higher education; and (3) work with the Federal Interagency Committee on Education to improve the coordination of Federal outreach programs that administer education and job training programs, collaborative business and education partnerships, and rural education programs.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1998
National Defense Science and Technology Investment Act of 1998 - States that, for each year from FY 2000 until 2008, it shall be an objective of the Secretary of: (1) Defense to increase the Defense Science and Technology Program (DSTP) budget by not less than two percent over inflation over the year before; and (2) Energy to increase the budget for nonproliferation science and technology activities by not less than two percent over inflation over the year before. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to expend funds from Department of Defense (DOD) 6.1, 6.2, or 6.3 accounts in supporting any individual DSTP project or program. Directs the Secretary to attempt to leverage commercial research, technology, products, and processes for the benefit of DOD. Allows funds made available to the DSTP to be used only to benefit DOD. Includes as key DSTP objectives: (1) the sustainment of research capabilities in scientific and engineering disciplines critical to DOD; (2) the education and training of the next generation of scientists and engineers in disciplines relevant to future defense systems; and (3) the continued support of the Defense Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research and research programs at historically black colleges and universities and minority institutions.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1998
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to grant duty-free treatment of ziram (fungicide).
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1998
Recognizes the historic significance of the 50th anniversary of the reestablishment of the State of Israel. Commends the Israeli people for their achievements in building a new state and a pluralistic democratic society in the Middle East. Reaffirms the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the United States and Israel. Extends congratulations and best wishes to the State of Israel and her people for a peaceful, prosperous, and successful future.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Assistance to States in Providing Charity Tax Credits Title II: Budget Offset Title III: Bankruptcy Protections for Charitable Donations Title IV: Tort Reforms Relating to Charitable Contributions REAL Life Community Renewal Act of 1998 - Title I: Assistance to States in Providing Charity Tax Credits - Authorizes States to use certain Federal grant funds for qualifying State charity tax credits. Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to study the effects of such credit, including the types of recipient organizations and the services they provide to the poor. Title II: Budget Offset - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the earned income credit for individuals without children. Title III: Bankruptcy Protections for Charitable Donations - Amends Federal bankruptcy law to exclude certain charitable contribution transfers from being deemed fraudulent transfers. Title IV: Tort Reforms Relating to Charitable Contributions - Exempts a business entity, under specified circumstances and with exceptions, from civil liability for injury or death resulting from: (1) the use by a nonprofit organization of donated equipment, facilities, or loan of aircraft or motor vehicles; and (2) business facility tours. Authorizes a State to make such non-liability provisions inapplicable in an action in which all parties are its citizens.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1998
REAL Life Educational Opportunity Act of 1998 - Amends title VI (Innovative Education Program Strategies) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to allow any State that has enacted or will enact a law establishing a voluntary public and private school parental choice scholarship program in compliance with specified ESEA requirements to reserve an additional 15 percent from its annual title IV allotment for use exclusively for such parental choice programs. Requires State educational agencies (SEAs), except in the case of such programs, to distribute 90 percent (currently 85 percent) of title VI funds to local educational agencies (LEAs). (Sec. 4) Includes such parental choice programs among State and local uses of title VI funds. Requires such parental choice programs to be located in an area that has the greatest numbers or percentages of children: (1) living in areas with a high concentration of low-income families; (2) from low-income families; or (3) living in sparsely populated areas. Requires such programs to ensure that program participation is limited to families whose family income does not exceed 185 percent of the poverty line. (Sec. 5) Allows LEAS that establish parental choice programs to apply for education flexibility waivers of certain statutory or regulatory requirements. Requires approval of such waivers by the Secretary of Education or the SEA, as applicable. Prohibits the Secretary from waiving requirements for: (1) civil rights protections and discrimination prohibitions; (2) services provided under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; (3) fiscal accountability measures; (4) equitable participation of private school students and teachers; and (5) parental involvement in program activities and services. (Sec. 6) Directs the Comptroller General to make contracts for annual evaluation of each parental choice program. Requires the Secretary of Education to reserve certain funds for such evaluations. Provides that title VI funds to establish a parental choice program shall be considered assistance to the student and shall not be considered as assistance to any school that chooses to participate in such program. Prohibits the Secretary from exercising any direction, supervision, or control over curricula, program of instruction, administration, or personnel of any school that chooses to participate in a parental choice program.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1998
Medicare Home Health Equity Act of 1998 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA), to: (1) restore the per visit cost limit to 112 percent of the mean (currently, 105 percent of the median) with regard to payments to home health agencies under Medicare; and (2) revise the interim payment system (IPS) for home health agency services. Directs the Director of the Congressional Budget Office to estimate annually the amount of savings to the Medicare program resulting from the IPS for home health agency services that was established by the BBA. Provides that, if the Director determines that the estimated amount exceeds the amount of savings to the Medicare program that the Director estimated immediately prior to enactment of the BBA by reason of such IPS, then the Director shall certify such excess to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Requires the Secretary, in turn, when an excess is certified, to prescribe rules under which appropriate adjustments are made to the amount of payments to home health agencies in the case of outliers: (1) where events beyond the home health agency's control or extraordinary circumstances, including the agency's case mix, create reasonable costs for a payment year which exceed the applicable payment limits; or (2) in any other case where the Secretary deems such an adjustment appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Designation and Evaluation of Renewal Communities Title II: Tax Incentives for Renewal Communities Title III: Additional Provisions REAL Life Economic Empowerment Act of 1998 - Title I: Designation and Evaluation of Renewal Communities - Renewing American Communities Act of 1998 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to designate (upon local or State nomination) up to 50 renewal communities. Requires for nomination purposes that: (1) the area be experiencing high rates of poverty and unemployment and general distress; and (2) State and local governments enter into written contracts with neighborhood organizations to promote specified economic growth and employment activities. Treats renewal communities as labor surplus areas for all Federal law purposes. Title II: Tax Incentives for Renewal Communities - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income capital gains on the sale or exchange of a qualified community asset (stock, business property, or partnership interest) held for more than five years. Allows a specified deduction for amounts paid into a family development account on behalf of an individual or another qualified individual who is a renewal community resident. Excludes from gross income account distributions used for qualified family development expenses (postsecondary education, first-home purchase, business capitalization, medical, and rollovers). Provides a penalty (with exceptions) in addition to inclusion as gross income for nonqualifying distributions. Provides for designation of up to 25 qualifying renewal communities as matching demonstration areas eligible to receive family development account matching contributions. Authorizes: (1) designation of earned income tax credit payments for family development account deposit; (2) a commercial building revitalization tax credit; (3) increased first year expensing for renewal community businesses; (4) extension of environmental remediation cost expensing and the work opportunity credit for renewal communities; and (5) similar tax treatment of renewal communities and enterprise zones for specified youth residence requirements. (Sec. 205) Makes conforming amendments to provisions respecting: (1) tax on excess contributions and prohibited transactions; (2) trust and annuity information; (3) tax exemption applications; and (4) the commercial revitalization credit. Title III: Additional Provisions - Provides for local government transfer of unoccupied and substandard Department of Housing and Urban Development multifamily and single family housing in renewal communities, with subsequent disposition priority to be given to community development corporations. (Sec. 302) Amends the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 to provide that a financial institution's investments in community development organizations located in renewal communities may be considered in evaluations under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1998
Expresses the condolences of the Senate on the death of the Honorable Terry Sanford, a former Senator from North Carolina.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 1998
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 2002, the duty on ferroniobium.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 1998
Technical Workers Fairness Act of 1998 - Amends the Revenue Act of 1978, as amended by the Tax Reform Act of 1986, with respect to the standards that a taxpayer must apply to treat certain individuals as not being employees for employment tax purposes. Repeals the exception to such standards for an individual who, pursuant to an arrangement between the taxpayer and another person, provides services for such other person as an engineer, designer, drafter, computer programmer, systems analyst, or other similarly skilled worker (technical worker) engaged in a similar line of work. (Thus, restores the standards used for determining whether technical workers are not employees as in effect before the Tax Reform Act of 1986.)
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 1998
U.S. Holocaust Assets Commission Act of 1998 - Establishes the Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States to: (1) study and develop an historical record of the collection and disposition of specified assets of Holocaust victims if they came into the possession or control of the Federal Government, including the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and any Federal reserve bank, at any time after January 30, 1933; (2) coordinate its activities with those of private and governmental entities; (3) review comprehensively research conducted by other entities regarding such assets in the United States; and (4) report its recommendations to the President. Instructs the President to report recommendations for action to the Congress. Provides for funding of Commission activities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 1998
American Missile Protection Act of 1998 - States as U.S. policy to deploy as soon as technologically possible an effective National Missile Defense system capable of defending U.S. territory against limited ballistic missile attack (whether accidental, unauthorized, or deliberate).
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Department of State Activities Title II: Commission on International Religious Persecution Title II: National Security Council Title IV: Sanctions Subtitle I: Targeted Responses to Religious Persecution Abroad Subtitle II: Strengthening Existing Law Title V: Promotion of Religious Freedom Title VI: Refugee, Asylum, and Consular Matters Title VII: Miscellaneous Provisions International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 - Declares it to be U.S. policy to: (1) condemn religious persecution, and to promote, and to assist other governments in the promotion of, the fundamental right to religious freedom; and (2) seek to channel U.S. security and development assistance to governments that are found not to be engaged in gross violations of human rights, including the right to religious freedom. Title I: Department of State Activities - Establishes within the Department of State an Office on International Religious Freedom which shall be headed by an Ambassador at Large on International Religious Freedom. (Sec. 102) Directs the Ambassador at Large to assist the Secretary of State in preparing those portions of the Human Rights Reports that relate to freedom of religion and religious discrimination, and to submit to the appropriate congressional committees, in conjunction with the Human Rights Reports, an Annual Report on Religious Persecution: (1) identifying foreign countries that engage in or tolerate acts of religious persecution; and (2) describing U.S. policies in support of religious freedom in such countries. (Sec. 103) Requires the Ambassador at Large, in order to facilitate access by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the public around the world to international documents on the protection of religious freedom, to establish an Internet site containing major international documents relating to religious freedom, the Annual Report on Religious Persecution, and any other relevant documentation or references to other sites. (Sec. 104) Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to direct the Secretary and the Ambassador at Large to establish as part of the standard training for Foreign Service officers, including chiefs of mission, instruction in the field of internationally-recognized human rights. (Sec. 105) Directs U.S. chiefs of mission to seek out and meet with religious NGOs, including imprisoned religious leaders where appropriate. (Sec. 106) Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) U.S. diplomatic missions in countries where the government engages in or tolerates religious persecution should develop, as part of annual program planning, a strategy to promote freedom of religion; and (2) in allocating funds or recommending candidates for U.S. programs and grants, U.S. missions should give particular consideration to those programs and candidates deemed to assist in the promotion of the right to religious freedom. (Sec. 107) Directs the Secretary to permit, on terms no less favorable than that accorded other nongovernmental activities, access to the premises of U.S. diplomatic missions by U.S. citizens seeking to conduct religious activities. (Sec. 108) Expresses the sense of the Congress that, in order to encourage involvement with religious persecution concerns at every possible opportunity and by all appropriate U.S. Government representatives, officials of the executive branch should promote increased advocacy with respect to the preparation of issue briefs consisting of lists of persons believed to be imprisoned for their religious faith during meetings between executive branch and congressional leaders and foreign dignitaries. Title II: Commission on International Religious Persecution - Establishes the United States Commission on International Religious Persecution. (Sec. 202) Makes the Commission's primary responsibility to: (1) consider the facts and circumstances of religious persecution presented in the Annual Report on Religious Persecution, as well as information from other appropriate sources; and (2) make appropriate policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary, and the Congress. Title III: National Security Council - Amends the National Security Act of 1947 to express the sense of the Congress that there should be within the staff of the National Security Council a Special Adviser to the President on Religious Persecution, serving as a resource for executive branch officials, compiling information on the facts and circumstances of religious persecution and violations of religious freedom, and making policy recommendations. Title IV: Sanctions - Subtitle I: Targeted Responses to Religious Persecution Abroad - Directs the President, for each foreign country in which the government engages in or tolerates religious persecution, to oppose that persecution by certain measures and promote the right to freedom of religion in that country. Prescribes a procedure for determining, before the President imposes any sanctions or commensurate actions, whether a foreign government has engaged in a consistent pattern of gross violations of the right to religious freedom. (Sec. 403) Directs the President to: (1) consult with the violating foreign government prior to imposing such sanctions; and (2) report to the Congress. (Sec. 405) Specifies among the measures and sanctions the President may take: (1) public condemnation; (2) cancellation of scientific and cultural exchanges; (3) withdrawal, limitation, or suspension of U.S. development assistance and U.S. security assistance; (4) withdrawal, limitation, or suspension of certain preferential tariff treatment; (5) instruction of U.S. executive directors of international financial institutions to vote against loans primarily benefiting the foreign government responsible for such persecution; (6) restrictions on the issuance of licenses to export any goods or technology to such foreign government; (7) prohibition against the making, guaranteeing, or insuring of loans, or extension of credit by certain U.S. financial institutions to the violating government; and (8) prohibition of U.S. Government procurement of goods or services from such government. Provides for commensurate actions in substitution for any of such measures and sanctions. Declares that any such action may not: (1) prohibit or restrict the provision of humanitarian assistance; or (2) impede any U.S. Government action to enforce the right to maintain intellectual property rights. (Sec. 407) Authorizes the President to waive the requirements of this Act if certain conditions are met. (Sec. 409) Provides for congressional review of any sanctions imposed, or the waiver of any requirements, under this Act. Subtitle II: Strengthening Existing Law - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the International Financial Institutions Act to add as a factor for consideration in formulating U.S. development assistance, military assistance, and multilateral assistance programs whether the government of a foreign country has: (1) engaged in gross violations of the right to freedom of religion; or (2) failed to undertake serious and sustained efforts to combat gross violations of the right to freedom of religion, when such efforts could have been reasonably undertaken. (Sec. 423) Requires the inclusion on the list of crime control and detection instruments or equipment controlled for export or reexport under the Export Administration Act of 1979 (and so subject to mandatory licensing) items the Secretary of State has determined are being used or are intended for use directly and in significant measure to carry out gross violations of the right to freedom of religion. Declares that the prohibition on the issuance of a license for export of crime control and detection instruments or equipment under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 shall apply to the export or reexport of such items. Title V: Promotion of Religious Freedom - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the use of development assistance funds to carry out programs and activities in foreign countries which will encourage and promote the right to free religious belief and practice. (Sec. 502) Amends the International Broadcasting Act of 1994 and the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 with respect to promoting respect for freedom of religion. (Sec. 504) Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to state that service in the promotion of internationally recognized human rights, including the right to religious freedom, shall serve as a basis for the award of performance pay and Foreign Service awards to Foreign Service employees. Title VI: Refugee, Asylum, and Consular Matters - Requires the Annual Report on Religious Persecution to serve as a resource for immigration judges and consular, refugee, and asylum officers in cases involving claims of persecution on the grounds of religion. (Sec. 602) Directs the Attorney General to provide all U.S. officials adjudicating refugee cases with the same training provided to officers adjudicating asylum cases, including training on the right to religious freedom and religious persecution. Requires the Attorney General and the Secretary of State to develop and implement guidelines that address potential hostile biases in Immigration and Naturalization Service personnel hired abroad and involved with duties which could constitute an effective barrier to a refugee claim if such personnel carry a hostile bias toward the claimant on the grounds of religion, race, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion. Requires the Attorney General and the Secretary of State to: (1) develop guidelines to ensure uniform procedures to the extent possible with Joint Voluntary Agencies; and (2) ensure that the Joint Voluntary Agencies process is enhanced, and faulty preparation of claims does not result in the failure of a genuine claim to refugee status. (Sec. 603) Requires the Attorney General and the Secretary of State to develop guidelines to ensure that interpreters with hostile biases, including personnel of airlines owned by governments known to be involved in practices which would meet the definition of persecution under international refugee law, shall not in any manner be used to interpret conversations between aliens and inspection or asylum officers. Requires the Attorney General to provide training to all officers adjudicating asylum cases on the right to religious freedom and the nature of religious persecution abroad, including country-specific conditions. Requires the Executive Office of Immigration Review of the Department of Justice to incorporate into its initial and ongoing training of immigration judges training on the extent and nature of religious persecution internationally, including country-specific conditions. (Sec. 604) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to make inadmissible for naturalization any alien (including a spouse and children) who, while serving as a foreign government official, directly engaged in gross violations of the right to religious freedom. Title VII: Miscellaneous Provisions - Expresses the sense of the Congress that transnational corporations operating in countries in which the government engages in gross violations of the right to religious freedom should adopt codes of conduct: (1) upholding the right to religious freedom of their employees; and (2) ensuring that a worker's religious views in no way affect the status or terms of his or her employment. (Sec. 702) Expresses the sense of the Congress that in negotiating the definitions of crimes to be included in the subject matter jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, the President should pursue the inclusion of gross violations of the right to religious freedom, to the extent they fall within the meaning in international law of crimes against humanity or genocide.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1998
Amends the National Sea Grant College Program Act to include within the term "ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources" resources of Lake Champlain, to the extent such resources have hydrological, biological, physical, or geological characteristics and problems similar or related to those of the Great Lakes.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1998
Declares that the Senate: (1) expresses gratitude to, and calls upon all Americans to show their gratitude to, John McCain and the men who were held as prisoners of war during the Vietnam conflict and for the return of Senator McCain to the United States; and (2) will not forget that more than 2,000 members of the armed forces remain unaccounted for from such conflict and will continue to press for the fullest accounting for such members.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Provisions Relating to Women's Health Research at the National Institutes of Health Title II: Provisions Relating to Women's Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Women's Health Research and Prevention Amendments of 1998 - Title I: Provisions Relating to Women's Health Research at the National Institutes of Health - Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend the authorization of appropriations for programs regarding diethylstilbestrol (DES). Mandates a program of education of health professionals and the public concerning DES. (Sec. 102) Extends the authorizations of appropriations for: (1) research on osteoporosis, Paget's disease, and related bone disorders; (2) the National Cancer Institute; (3) breast cancer programs; and (4) programs on ovarian and other cancers of the reproductive system of women. (Sec. 104) Mandates expansion, intensification, and coordination of research and related activities of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute regarding heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases in women. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 105) Extends the authorization of appropriations for the National Institute on Aging. (Sec. 106) Requires that the Director of the National Institutes of Health (currently, the Director of the Office of Research on Women's Health) appoint members of the Advisory Committee on Women's Health. Title II: Provisions Relating to Women's Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Extends the authorization of appropriations for the National Center for Health Statistics and the National Program of Cancer Registries. (Sec. 203) Requires that certain breast and cervical cancer programs be carried out through public or private (currently, public or nonprofit private) entities. Extends authorizations of appropriations for various preventive health measures relating to breast and cervical cancers. (Sec. 204) Extends the authorizations of appropriations for: (1) centers for research and demonstration regarding health promotion and disease prevention; and (2) community projects to coordinate intervention and prevention of domestic violence.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1998
American Competitiveness Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish an H1-C nonimmigrant category of nonphysician health care workers. (Removes such aliens from the H-1B skilled worker category.) Increases H1-B visa levels, and makes available to such category a certain number of unused visas from specified other temporary visa categories. (Sec. 4) Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize appropriations for the State Student Incentive Grant program. Obligates specified amounts for grants to low-income students in higher education programs of mathematics, computer science, or engineering. Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish or improve an Internet technology employment data bank. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 5) Revises and increases penalties for violations of the H1-B or H1-C programs. Transfers labor condition application authority from the Secretary to the Attorney General. Defines "prevailing wage." (Sec. 6) Directs the Attorney General to submit an annual H1-B visa report. (Sec. 7) Exempts employment-based immigrants from per country limitations if unused visas are available during a calendar quarter. Authorizes nonimmigrant status extension for certain aliens who: (1) have petitions pending for employment-based immigrant status adjustment; and (2) are subject to per country limitations. (Sec. 8) Authorizes H1-B aliens to accept academic honorarium payments for services on behalf of an institution of higher education or other nonprofit entity.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1998
Commends the bravery and honor of the citizens of Remy, France, for their actions with respect to the American fighter pilot Lieutenant Houston Braly during and after August 1944. Recognizes the efforts of the surviving members of the U.S. 364th Fighter Group to raise funds to restore the stained glass windows of Remy's 13th century church.
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 · 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
Urges: (1) the President to oppose any reorganization plan for the expansion of the United Nations Security Council which does not include Italy and to support Italy's inclusion as a permanent member if there is to be an expansion of the Security Council; and (2) the Department of State to develop a reorganization plan of the Security Council that would incorporate nations that have played a significant role in fostering world peace and stability, such as Italy.
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
Tax Code Termination Act - Prohibits the imposition of any tax by the Internal Revenue Code: (1) for any taxable year beginning after December 31, 2001; and (2) in the case of any tax not imposed on the basis of a taxable year, on any taxable event or for any period after December 31, 2001. Excepts the: (1) tax on self-employment income (chapter 2 of the Code); (2) Federal Insurance Contributions Act (chapter 21 of the Code); and (3) Railroad Retirement Tax Act (chapter 22 of the Code). Declares that any new Federal tax system should be a simple and fair system.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1998
Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Act Amendments of 1998 - Amends the Delaware and Lehigh Navigation Canal National Heritage Corridor Act of 1988 to change the name of the Delaware and Lehigh Navigation Canal National Heritage Corridor to the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor. Includes among the Act's purposes enhancing economic development within the context of preservation. Modifies provisions regarding: (1) membership of, terms of office for, and confirmation of appointment to the Delaware and Lehigh National Corridor Commission; and (2) powers of the Commission to authorize the conveyance of real property acquired by the Commission to an appropriate nonprofit organization, to enter into cooperative agreements with a nonprofit organization, and to require any cooperative agreement to establish procedures for providing notice to the Commission of any action proposed by a nonprofit organization which may affect implementation of the Cultural Heritage and Corridor Management Plan. Authorizes the Commission to administer any grant or loan from amounts appropriated, donated, or otherwise made available to the Commission for the purpose of providing a grant or loan. Directs the Commission to implement the Plan by taking appropriate steps to preserve and interpret the cultural, natural, recreational, and scenic (currently, limited to historic) resources of the Canal and its surrounding area. Terminates the Commission ten years after the date of this Act's enactment. Requires specified actions by any Federal entity conducting or supporting activities directly affecting the historic, cultural, natural, recreational, or scenic resources of the Corridor (currently, the flow of the Canal or the natural resources of the Corridor). Reauthorizes and increases appropriations under the Act. Authorizes specified funds to implement the management action plan created by the Commission. Prohibits the Commission from interfering with private property rights or any local zoning ordinance or land use plan of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or any political subdivision thereof.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1998
Child Custody Protection Act - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit and set penalties for transporting an individual under age 18 across a State line to obtain an abortion if the requirements of a law in the State where the individual resides, requiring parental involvement in a minor's abortion decision, are not met before obtaining the abortion. Makes an exception if the abortion was necessary to save the life of the minor. Authorizes any parent or guardian who suffers legal harm from a violation to obtain appropriate relief in a civil action.
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
Declares that the Congress recognizes that: (1) parents choose many legitimate forms of child care to meet their individual needs; (2) child care needs of at-home parents and working parents should be given careful consideration by the Congress; and (3) any quality child care proposal should reflect careful consideration of providing financial relief for those families where there is an at-home parent. Calls for no bias against at-home parents, and recognizes and applauds their sacrifices and efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 1998
Federal Surplus Property Improvement Act of 1998 - Requires that nonlethal excess supplies of the Department of Defense be made available to a State or a local government upon request before such supplies are made available for humanitarian relief purposes. Permits the President to make such supplies available for humanitarian purposes before they are made available to a State or local government in response to a natural disaster emergency. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, with respect to the transfer of property for environmental protection in foreign countries, to prohibit such transfers unless the Administrator of General Services (GSA Administrator) determines that there are no Federal or State use requirements for the property under any other provision of law. Amends the Small Business Act to: (1) repeal the requirement permitting the transfer of U.S.-owned technology or surplus property to participants in the small business and capital ownership development program on a priority basis; and (2) subject to the oversight of the GSA Administrator, in consultation with State agencies responsible for surplus property distribution, the transfer of such technology or surplus property to program participants. Repeals the authority of the Secretary of Energy to transfer surplus equipment to an educational institution with which it has a partnership agreement. Requires the Administrator of General Services to report to the Congress on the effectiveness of surplus personal property donation and disposal programs (except for any program that grants access to personal property by local communities affected by the closure of a military base), along with recommendations for consolidating such programs under a single Federal authority.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1998
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that the Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the U.S. flag.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 1998
Biomedical Revitalization Resolution of 1998 - Expresses the sense of the Senate that funding for the National Institutes of Health should be increased by $2 billion in FY 1999.
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 · 13 November 1997
Temporary Agricultural Worker Act of 1997 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish: (1) an alternative temporary agricultural worker process pilot program based upon a labor condition attestation filed by an employer and accepted by the appropriate State agency; and (2) a nonimmigrant visa category for such aliens. Sets forth program provisions.