United States · United States Congress · 18 March 1999
Historic Homeownership Assistance Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for 20 percent of the qualified rehabilitation expenditures made by a taxpayer with respect to a qualified historic home which has been substantially rehabilitated and which is owned by the taxpayer and used as his or her principal residence. Allows the credit for such expenditures to be taken by a purchaser of the rehabilitated home. Permits, in lieu of the credit, a historic rehabilitation mortgage credit certificate, which may be transferred to a lender in exchange for a reduction in the rate of interest on the loan secured by the building.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1999
Consumer Credit Act of 1999 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to mandate that: (1) monthly billing statements for an open end consumer credit plan include specified repayment information, including the number of months it would take to pay the balance and the total cost if the consumer pays only the required minimum payment; (2) certain written disclosures be furnished to the consumer at the time of purchase if the creditor of an open end consumer credit plan obtains a security interest in personal property purchased under such plan; and (3) the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Board) publish the pertinent model disclosure forms. Requires: (1) creditors making advances under an open end credit plan to annually report certain loan data to the Board; and (2) the Board to compile such data and submit it to certain congressional committees annually. Amends Federal bankruptcy law to permit the discharge in bankruptcy of an individual debt if the creditor has not made the requisite disclosures under this Act. Sanctions the reaffirmation of a dischargeable debt if the reaffirmation agreement contains such disclosures.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1999
Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 1999 - Amends the Federal criminal code to set penalties for persons who, whether or not acting under color of law, willfully cause bodily injury to any person or, through the use of fire, a firearm, or an explosive device, attempt to cause such injury, because of the actual or perceived: (1) race, color, religion, or national origin of any person; or (2) religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability of any person, where in connection with the offense, the defendant or the victim travels in interstate or foreign commerce, uses a facility or instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce, or engages in any activity affecting interstate or foreign commerce, or where the offense is in or affects interstate or foreign commerce. (Sec. 5) Directs the United States Sentencing Commission to study the issue of, and, if appropriate, amend the Federal sentencing guidelines to provide sentencing enhancements for, adult defendants who recruit juveniles to assist in the commission of hate crimes. (Sec. 6) Requires the Office of Justice Programs of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to make grants to State and local programs designed to combat hate crimes committed by juveniles. Authorizes appropriations, including programs to train local law enforcement officers in investigating, prosecuting, and preventing hate crimes. (Sec. 7) Authorizes appropriations to the Department of the Treasury and to DOJ to increase the number of personnel to prevent and respond to alleged violations of provisions regarding interference with specified federally protected activities, such as voting.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1999
Commends U.S. Senator J. Robert Kerrey of Nebraska, on the 30th anniversary of the events giving rise to his receiving the Medal of Honor, for service to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1999
Class Size Reduction and Teacher Quality Act of 1999 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a grants program to help States and local educational agencies recruit, train, and hire 100,000 additional teachers over a seven-year period in order to: (1) reduce class sizes nationally, in grades one through three, to an average of 18 students per classroom; and (2) improve teaching in the early grades so that all students can learn to read independently and well by the end of the third grade. Authorizes appropriations. Sets forth program requirements for: (1) allotments to States; (2) within-State allocations; (3) local uses of funds; and (4) cost-sharing.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1999
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to disregard certain Native American housing assistance in determining whether a building is federally subsidized for low-income housing credit purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1999
Expresses the condolences of the House of Representatives on the death of the Honorable Morris King Udall, a former Representative from the State of Arizona.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1999
Beaches Environmental Assessment, Closure, and Health Act of 1999 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require States to adopt water quality criteria for coastal recreation waters consistent with criteria published by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under such Act. Directs the Administrator to conduct studies for use in developing: (1) a more complete list of potential health risks from inhalation, ingestion, or body contact, including effects to the upper respiratory system; (2) appropriate and effective indicators and appropriate, accurate, and expeditious methods for detecting the presence of pathogens in coastal recreational waters; and (3) guidance for State-to-State application of the revised water quality criteria for pathogens required to be issued by the Administrator under this Act that accounts for the diversity of geographic and aquatic conditions nationwide. Directs the Administrator to publish and revise regulations requiring monitoring of, and specifying methods to be used by States to monitor, coastal recreation waters and beaches for compliance with water quality criteria and protection of public safety. Requires notification of local governments, the public, and the Administrator of exceedances, or the likelihood of exceedances, of water quality criteria for such waters. Requires the Administrator to issue guidance establishing core performance measures for testing, monitoring, and notification programs and for the delegation of such programs to local government authorities. Makes State resources available to such authorities if the programs are so delegated. Directs the Administrator to: (1) provide technical assistance to States for uniform assessment and monitoring procedures for floatable materials in such waters; (2) specify the conditions under which the presence of floatable material constitutes a threat to public health and safety; and (3) establish a national coastal recreation water pollution occurrence database and a listing of communities complying with the monitoring and notification regulations published pursuant to this Act. Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to States to fulfill requirements under this Act. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1999
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to reauthorize and revise provisions for the National Writing Project (NWP). Increases the maximum amount for any one contractor under limits on the Federal share of NWP teacher training programs. Repeals the classroom teacher grants program under NWP. Increases and extends through FY 2004 the authorization of appropriations for NWP.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1999
Chesapeake Bay Restoration Act of 1999 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to: (1) continue the Chesapeake Bay Program; and (2) maintain a Program Office to provide specified support to the Chesapeake Executive Council. Authorizes the Administrator to provide technical assistance and assistance grants to nonprofit private organizations and individuals, State and local governments, colleges and universities, and interstate agencies to carry out the Program. Provides the Federal and non-Federal share of various Program costs. Provides for Chesapeake Bay Agreement (an agreement among signatory members to restore and protect the Bay's ecosystem) implementation and monitoring grants, with specified Federal and non-Federal shares. Directs the Administrator to make public a document describing in detail projects funded for the current and previous years. Requires any Federal agency that owns or operates a facility within the Bay watershed to: (1) participate in regional and subwatershed planning and restoration programs; and (2) report to the President and the Council on expenditures to carry out such programs. Requires the Administrator to: (1) ensure that management plans are developed and that implementation is begun by signatories to the Agreement for the Bay tributaries to achieve specified water nutrient and quality goals and habitat restoration and protection; and (2) offer technical assistance and assistance grants for a small watershed grants program within the Bay. Directs the Administrator to study and report to the Congress on the state of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem and on Program goals, effects, and strategies. Requires a five-year study to establish and expand understanding of Bay ecosystem living resources response to water quality improvements resulting from the Program. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2000 through 2005.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1999
Toxic Microorganism Abatement Pilot Project Act - Directs the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to evaluate, develop, and implement a pilot project in each of the States of Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia to address and control problems associated with the degradation of ecosystems and their dependent activities resulting from toxic microorganisms in tidal and nontidal wetlands and waters. Defines "toxic microorganism" to mean Pfiesteria piscicida and any other potentially harmful aquatic dinoflagellate. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) congressional reporting requirements; (2) Federal and non-Federal shares of project costs; and (3) local cooperation agreements.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1999
Advancement in Pediatric Autism Research Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand, intensify, and coordinate the activities of NIH with respect to autism. Requires the Director, among other things, to make awards of grants and contracts to public or nonprofit entities for centers of excellence regarding research on autism. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to: (1) make awards of grants and cooperative agreements for the collection, analysis, and reporting of data on autism and pervasive developmental disabilities to public or nonprofit private entities; (2) establish up to five regional centers of excellence in autism and pervasive developmental disabilities epidemiology, through grants or cooperative agreements, for purposes of collecting and analyzing information on autism and developmental disabilities; (3) establish a clearinghouse within the Center for the collection and storage of data generated from the monitoring programs created by this Act; and (4) coordinate the Federal response to requests for assistance from State health department officials regarding potential or alleged autism or developmental disability clusters. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Secretary to establish a program to provide information and education on autism to health professionals and the general public. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to establish an Autism Coordinating Committee to coordinate HHS efforts concerning autism.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1999
Medicare Rehabilitation Benefit Improvement Act of 1999 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide certain Medicare beneficiaries with an exemption to the financial limitations imposed on physical, speech-language pathology, and occupational therapy services under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance). Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a study of the specified effects of this Act for a report to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1999
Urges the President and the Secretary of State to give high priority to aiding in the resolution of the conflict in Sierra Leone and to bringing stability to West Africa. Condemns: (1) atrocities committed by the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) throughout the conflict; and (2) specified external actors for contributing to the cycle of violence by providing assistance to AFRC or RUF. Supports: (1) continued efforts by the regional peacekeeping force, the Economic Community Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), to restore peace and security and to defend the democratically elected Government of Sierra Leone; (2) appropriate U.S. logistical, medical, and political support for ECOMOG; and (3) the people of Sierra Leone in their quest for a democratic, prosperous, and reconciled society. Recognizes that basic improvements in ECOMOG's performance regarding human rights and personnel management would improve its effectiveness. Calls for: (1) an immediate cessation of hostilities and respect for human rights; and (2) all members of the conflict to engage in dialogue to bring about a long-term solution.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1999
State and Local Investment Opportunities Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the State ceiling on private activity bonds. Provides for inflation adjustment.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1999
Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail Study Act of 1999 - Amends the National Trails System Act to require study for potential addition to the national trails system of the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail (the route of the War of 1812 British invasion of Maryland and Washington, D.C., and the route of the American defense to victory at Fort McHenry on September 14, 1814).
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1999
Resources 2000 Act - Reduces according to a specified formula the amount of qualified Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) revenues that shall be deposited for a limited fiscal year into the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Historic Preservation Fund, or any other fund or account established by this Act. (Sec. 6) Limits the amount available for administrative expenses to two percent. (Sec. 7) Requires off-budget treatment of the receipts and disbursements of funds under this Act. Title I: Land and Water Conservation Fund Revitalization - Amends the Land and Water Conservation Act of 1965 to extend indefinitely the period for: (1) depositing amounts into the Land and Water Conservation Fund (currently, such period ends September 30, 2015); and (2) under specified conditions, annual authorization of appropriations to the Fund in certain amounts for FY 1977 through 1978 and each succeeding fiscal year. (Sec. 103) Makes $900 million available each fiscal year for obligation or expenditure without further appropriation, to be allocated as follows: (1) 50 percent for Federal purposes; and (2) 50 percent for State grants. (Sec. 105) Removes the "outdoor recreation" limitation on the use of financial assistance to States to carry out planning, land acquisition, and development projects for land and water conservation purposes. (Sec. 106) Revises the formula used to allocate amounts made available for State purposes from the Fund each fiscal year, including distributing one-third of such funds among the several States under a competitive grant program. (Sec. 107) 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 a State, in order to reduce costly repetitive planning efforts, to use for such a plan a current State comprehensive outdoor recreation plan, a State recreation plan, or a State action agenda under criteria developed by the Secretary. (Sec. 108) Removes the restriction on providing financial assistance to States for incidental costs relating to land and water acquisition. Permits local funding and a limited percentage of the amount of State allocated funds in any one year to be used for sheltered facilities for swimming pools and ice skating rinks in areas where the Secretary determines a need to enhance public safety. (Sec. 109) 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 that no prudent or feasible alternative exists. Exempts from such requirement conversion of property that is no longer viable as an outdoor conservation or recreation facility due to changes in demographics, or that must be abandoned because of environmental contamination which endangers public health and safety. Title II: Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Program Amendments - Amends the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act of 1978 to provide 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. 205) 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 purpose other than public recreation purposes. (Sec. 210) Establishes in the Treasury the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Fund. Specifies the amount to be deposited into the Fund each fiscal year out of qualified OCS revenues, which shall be available, without further appropriation, until expended. Sets forth limitations on annual State grants under this Act and grant and program administration. (Sec. 211) 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 III: Historic Preservation Fund - Amends the National Historic Preservation Act to specify the amount to be deposited into the Historic Preservation Fund each fiscal year after FY 1998 out of qualified OCS revenues, which shall remain available, without further appropriation, and until expended, only to carry out the purposes of such Act. (Sec. 301) 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). Title IV: Farmland, Ranchland, Open Space, and Forestland Protection - Establishes in the Treasury the Farmland, Ranchland, Open Space, and Forestland Protection Fund. (Sec. 403) Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to use specified amounts from the Fund for the farmland protection and forest legacy programs. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to use specified amounts from the Fund for the ranchland protection program. (Sec. 404) Amends the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 with respect to the farmland protection program to: (1) specify that the program shall be a matching grant program carried out through eligible entities such as State and local government, Indian tribes, and nonprofit conservation organizations; (2) eliminate acreage limitations; and (3) increase the existing funding cap, revising it from a total program cap to a fiscal year cap. (Sec. 405) Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a ranchland protection program similar to the farmland protection program. Title V: Federal and Indian Lands Restoration Fund - Establishes the Federal and Indians Lands Restoration Fund which shall 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. Deposits $250 million of qualified Outer Continental Shelf revenues received by the United States each fiscal year into the Fund and 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 Indian tribes under this Act. Requires the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) each establish priority lists for the use of funds which give 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 and determining the extent to which demonstrable results are being achieved. Title VI: Living Marine Resources Conservation, Restoration, and Management Assistance - Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to use amounts from the Living Marine Resources Conservation Fund for allocation to a coastal State with a Living Marine Resources Conservation Plan to reimburse the State for the costs of developing, implementing, and revising such a plan. Sets forth plan requirements. Establishes the Living Marine Resources Conservation Fund. Provides for the deposit in such fund of specified amounts received by the United States as qualified Outer Continental Shelf revenues. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants from such fund for the conservation, restoration, or management of living marine resources. Sets forth criteria for grant approval. Defines "living marine resources" as indigenous fin fish, anadromous fish, mollusks, crustaceans, and all other forms of marine animal and plant life, including marine mammals and birds, that inhabit marine or brackish waters of the United States during all or part of their life cycle. Title VII: Funding for State Native Fish and Wildlife Conservation and Restoration - Amends the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act of 1980 to revise the purposes and applicability of such Act so as to: (1) provide for promoting conservation of native (currently, nongame) fish and wildlife; and (2) preserving biological diversity by maintaining natural assemblages of native fish and wildlife. Replaces the definition of "fish and wildlife" and "nongame fish and wildlife" with a definition of "native fish and wildlife" as a fish, animal, or plant species that: (1) historically occurred or occurs in an ecosystem, other than as a result of an introduction, and lives in an unconfined state; and (2) does not include any population of a domesticated species that has reverted to a feral existence. (Sec. 703) Requires State conservation plans to promote balanced and diverse assemblages of native fish and wildlife. (Sec. 704) Repeals the provision specifying that conservation actions set forth in a conservation plan approved by the Secretary of the Interior shall be eligible for reimbursement as fish and wildlife projects. (Sec. 705) Makes amendments relating to the reimbursement of State costs for the development, revision, and implementation of conservation plans to: (1) extend eligibility for reimbursement of costs incurred by States for developing conservation plans through FY 2010, and for implementing conservation plans through FY 2005; (2) repeal specified reimbursement requirements; (3) prohibit paying reimbursement to any State for any cost incurred in implementing an approved conservation plan or action to the extent that more than 50 (currently ten) percent of such costs in any such year are accounted for by inkind contributions; and (4) prohibit the amount of reimbursement paid to any State for any fiscal year after FY 2010 from exceeding 75 percent of the cost of implementing and revising the plan during the fiscal year. (Sec. 706) Establishes the Native Fish and Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Fund into which the following amounts received as qualified Outer Continental Shelf revenues shall be deposited: (1) $100 million for each of FY 2000 and 2001; (2) $200 million for each of FY 2002 through 2004; and (3) $350 million for FY 2005 and each proceeding fiscal year. Makes up to the amount stated for a fiscal year available to the Secretary of the Interior for that fiscal year to reimburse States for conservation plans and actions. Title VIII: Endangered and Threatened Species Recovery - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Commerce to use amounts in the Endangered and Threatened Species Recovery Fund to provide financial assistance to persons for development and implementation of Endangered and Threatened Species Recovery Agreements. Requires either 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. Prohibits the Secretary from providing financial assistance for any action that is required by a permit issued under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 or that is otherwise required under Federal law. (Sec. 803) 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 for compliance with such requirements, propose necessary revisions, approve Agreements in compliance, periodically monitor the implementation of each Agreement, and disburse financial assistance to implement the Agreement. (Sec. 804) Establishes the Endangered and Threatened Species Recovery Fund in the Treasury and requires $100 million to be deposited into the Fund each fiscal year from amounts received as qualified Outer Continental Shelf revenues.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1999
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should issue a proclamation declaring the week that begins on the Sunday before Presidents' Day of each year as United States Presidential History Week. Redesignates the legal public holiday of Washington's Birthday as Presidents' Day in honor of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Roosevelt and in recognition of the importance of the institution of the Presidency and the contributions that Presidents have made to our nation's development and the principles of freedom and democracy.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1999
Designates the week of March 21 through March 27, 1999, as National Inhalants and Poisons Awareness Week. Encourages parents to learn about the dangers of inhalant abuse and to discuss those dangers with their children.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1999
Expresses the sense of the Congress that there should continue to be parity between the adjustments in the compensation of members of the armed forces and Federal civilian employees.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 1999
Designates the week beginning April 30, 1999, as National Youth Fitness Week. Urges parents, families, caregivers, and teachers to encourage and help youth to participate in athletic activities and to teach adolescents to engage in healthy lifestyles.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 1999
Stop Gun Trafficking Act of 1999 - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit any licensed firearms dealer from selling: (1) two or more handguns to an unlicensed individual during any 30-day period; or (2) a handgun to an unlicensed individual who purchased a handgun during the 30-day period ending on the date of the sale. Makes such prohibition inapplicable to an exchange of one handgun for one handgun. Bars any unlicensed individual from purchasing two or more handguns during any 30-day period. Sets penalties for violations. Increases penalties for making knowingly false statements in connection with firearms. Extends the deadlines for the destruction of: (1) records related to handgun transfers subject to the waiting period; and (2) records of the national instant criminal background check system. Revises the definition of "engaged in the business" as applied to a firearms dealer to include any person who transfers more than one handgun in any 30-day period to a person who is not a licensed dealer.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 1999
Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs Act of 1999 - Amends the Reigle Community Development and Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994 to add to title I a new subtitle C, which may be cited as the Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs Act of 1999. Directs the Administrator of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund to establish a microenterprise technical assistance and capacity building program to provide Fund grants to qualified non profit organizations to: (1) provide training and technical assistance to disadvantaged entrepreneurs; (2) provide training and capacity building services to help microenterprise development organizations and programs develop microenterprise training and services; and (3) aid in researching and developing the best practices in the field of microenterprise and technical assistance programs for disadvantaged entrepreneurs. Sets forth an allocation formula for such assistance and for grants benefitting very low-income persons, including those residing on Indian reservations. Authorizes a qualified organization to provide subgrants to small and emerging microenterprise entities. Mandates matching funds from non-Federal sources. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 1999
Stop Illegal Steel Trade Act of 1999 - Directs the President to impose quotas, tariff surcharges, or negotiate enforceable voluntary export restraint agreements in order to ensure that the volume of imported steel products (semifinished, plates, sheets and strips, wire rods, wire and wire products, rail type products, bars, structural shapes and units, pipes and tubes, iron ore, and coke products) during any month does not exceed the average volume of imported steel for the 36-month period preceding July 1997. Directs the Secretaries of the Treasury and of Commerce to implement a program for administering and enforcing the restraints on such imports. Authorizes the Customs Service to refuse entry into the U.S. customs territory for a three year period of any steel products that exceed the allowable levels of such products.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1999
Children's Hospitals Education and Research Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make payment as specified to each children's hospital for each hospital cost reporting period under Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act (SSA)) from FY 2000 through FY 2003 for the direct and indirect expenses associated with operating approved medical residency training programs. Provides that such payments are in lieu of certain Medicare payments to hospitals for inpatient hospital services, but shall not affect the amounts otherwise payable to such hospitals under a State Medicaid (SSA title XIX) plan. Makes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1999
Expresses: (1) condolences to the family of King Hussein and to all the people of Jordan; (2) admiration for King Hussein's enlightened leadership and gratitude for his support for peace throughout the Middle East; and (3) support and best wishes for the new government of Jordan under King Abdullah. Reaffirms the U.S. commitment to strengthening the vital relationship between our two governments and peoples.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1999
Open-market Reorganization for the Betterment of International Telecommunications Act - Amends the Communications Satellite Act of 1962 to require COMSAT (the Communications Satellite Corporation), as the sole U.S. signatory to INTELSAT (the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization), to act as an advocate of pro-competitive privatization of INTELSAT, and to exercise its voting rights consistent with such mission. Requires annual reports from COMSAT to specified congressional committees. Prohibits INTELSAT from entering the U.S. satellite communications services or space segment capacity markets prior to achieving pro-competitive privatization as certified by the President. Outlines specified services provided by INTELSAT that shall not be authorized in the United States by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) until the President makes such certification. Directs the President to secure a pro-competitive privatization of INTELSAT as soon as practicable, but no later than January 1, 2002. Directs the FCC to: (1) apply a presumption in favor of entry to an affiliate of IGO (Intergovernmental Satellite Organizations, which are made up of INTELSAT and INMARSAT (the International Maritime Satellite Organization)) licensed by a World Trade Organization (WTO) member for services covered by U.S. commitments under the WTO Basic Telecom Agreement; (2) attach necessary conditions to any grant of authority to such an affiliate that raises the potential for competitive harm; and (3) deny, in exceptional cases, the application of such an affiliate when it poses a very high risk to competition in the U.S. satellite market. Outlines procedures for INTELSAT privatization certification by the President. Provides for FCC review of certain related license applications. Requires the President, if privatization is not achieved by the required date, to: (1) determine whether additional measures should be implemented to ensure such privatization; and (2) report such measures to specified congressional committees. Eliminates certain governmental privileges and immunities held by COMSAT as the U.S. representative to INTELSAT, with exceptions. Requires all satellite system operators authorized to access the U.S. market to make efficient and timely use of orbital and spectrum resources to ensure that such resources are not warehoused to the detriment of other new or existing satellite system operators. Prohibits any Government preference in the procurement of telecommunications satellite services provided by INTELSAT. Prohibits the FCC from assigning by competitive bidding orbital locations or spectrum used for the provision of international or global satellite communications services. Amends the International Maritime Satellite Telecommunications Act to authorize the President, in order to ensure the continued provision of global maritime distress and safety satellite telecommunications services after the privatization of INMARSAT, to maintain U.S. membership in the International Mobile Satellite Organization.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1999
Declares that: (1) the final political status of the territory controlled by the Palestinian Authority can only be determined through negotiations and agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority; (2) any attempt to establish Palestinian statehood outside the negotiating process will invoke the strongest congressional opposition; and (3) the President should unequivocally assert U.S. opposition to the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1999
Amends the Animal Welfare Act to eliminate the provision permitting interstate movement of live fighting birds if the fighting venture is to take place in a State allowing such fights.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1999
Deceptive Mail Prevention and Enforcement Act - Amends Federal postal law to prohibit the use of any reference to the Postmaster General, a citation to Federal statute, or implication that nonmailable matter is afforded any special protections or status by the Federal Government if such matter constitutes a solicitation by a non-governmental entity for: (1) the purchase of or payment for products or services and containing a seal, insignia, trade or brand name, or any other term or symbol which reasonably could be interpreted or construed as implying Federal Government connection, approval, or endorsement; or (2) information or the contribution of funds or membership fees and containing such terms or symbols which could reasonably be interpreted or construed in the same manner. Allows the mailing of such matter if it does not contain a statement that implies that Federal Government benefits or services will be affected by any purchase, nonpurchase, response, or non-response to such matter. (Sec. 2) Declares that matter otherwise legally acceptable in the mails is nonmailable matter, shall not be carried or delivered by mail, and shall be disposed of as the Postal Service directs if such matter constitutes a solicitation for the purchase of any products that is federally produced, may be obtained without cost from the Federal Government, and does not contain a statement giving notice of such information. Requires the Postal Service to regulate the manner in which such statement should be displayed. (Sec. 3) Prohibits matter otherwise legally acceptable in the mails that relates to a sweepstakes, prize promotion, or award that does not meet specified Postal Service requirements from being carried or delivered by mail. Allows it to be disposed of as the Postal Service directs. Requires persons who: (1) use the mails for any matter that contains sweepstakes entry materials to adopt reasonable practices and procedures to prevent the mailing of such materials to persons who submit written requests that such materials should not be mailed to them; and (2) mail such solicitation materials to maintain or cause to be maintained records of all such requests that permit the suppression of the names of such requesters for a five-year period beginning on the date of the written requests. (Sec. 4) Makes postal law sanctions involving false representations and lotteries applicable to deceptive mailings under this Act. (Sec. 5) Allows the Postal Service to apply for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunctions in the preparation for or during the pendency of proceedings concerning deceptive mailings. (Sec. 6) Increases civil penalties for violation of current postal law sanctions and establishes civil penalties for violation of this Act. (Sec. 7) Authorizes the use of administrative subpoenas by the Postmaster General in any investigation involving nonmailable matter.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 1999
Amends Federal law to add Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday (the third Monday in January) to the list of days on which the U.S. flag should especially be displayed.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Expanded Availability of Health Care Services Title II: Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency and Related Provisions Subtitle A: Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Subtitle B: Elimination of Work Disincentives Subtitle C: Work Incentives Planning, Assistance, and Outreach Title III: Demonstration Projects and Studies Title IV: Technical Amendments Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 - Title I: Expanded Availability of Health Care Services - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for expanding State options under Medicaid for workers with disabilities, namely by creating State options to eliminate income, assets, and resource limitations for workers with disabilities who buy into Medicaid and to expand opportunities for such workers to make such a buy. Provides that Federal funds paid to a State for medical assistance provided to certain working disabled individuals must be used to supplement but not supplant the level of State funds expended as of FY 1999 for programs to enable working disabled individuals to work. (Sec. 102) Provides for certain continuation of Medicare coverage for working individuals with disabilities. (Sec. 103) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) award grants to eligible States to support establishment of State infrastructures to support the working disabled as well as to enable State outreach campaigns on infrastructure existence; and (2) submit a recommendation to specified congressional committees on whether such grant program should be continued after FY 2010. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 104) Authorizes State demonstration projects for certain Medicaid coverage of up to a specified maximum number of workers with a potentially severe disability, coverage equal to that afforded under the State option provided for above for eliminating income, assets, and resource limitations for disabled workers buying into Medicaid. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency and Related Provisions - Subtitle A: Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency - Amends part A (General Provisions) of SSA title XI to direct the Commissioner to establish a Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program (TWSSP) under which a disabled beneficiary may use a TWSSP ticket issued by the Commissioner under a described system, designed to ensure quality assurance, to obtain employment, vocational rehabilitation services, or other support services, pursuant to an appropriate individual beneficiary work plan that meets specified requirements, at the Commission's expense, from a participating employment network, public or private, which: (1) meets specified qualifications and is under an agreement with the Commissioner who must select a program manager to assist in administering TWSSP; (2) is chosen by the beneficiary, and (3) is willing to accept assignment of the beneficiary's TWSSP ticket. Allows State agencies administering or supervising the administration of the State plan under title I of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to elect to participate as an employment network. Sets forth special requirements applicable to cross-referral to certain State agencies and requirements relating to provision of services. Describes employment network payment systems. Provides that during any period for which an individual is using a TWSSP ticket, the Commissioner and any applicable State agency may not initiate a continuing disability or similar review with regards to whether the individual is or is not disabled. Requires payments to employment networks to be made out of the social security trust funds in the case of ticketed SSA title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) disability beneficiaries who return to work, or from the appropriation made available for making Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments under SSA title XVI, in the case of SSI disability beneficiaries who return to work. Provides for allocation of other costs. (Sec. 202) Establishes within the Social Security Administration the Work Incentives Advisory Panel to advise the Commissioner with respect to TWSSP, and other Federal officials on related issues. Provides that the costs for carrying out this paragraph shall be paid from amounts available for the administration of SSA titles II and XVI, and shall be allocated among those amounts as appropriate. Subtitle B: Elimination of Work Disincentives - Amends SSA title II to set forth a number of measures designed to eliminate work disincentives, namely prohibiting work activity as a basis for review of an individual's disability status and providing for expedited eligibility determinations for applications for disability benefits of former certain long-term disability beneficiaries that engaged in substantial gainful activity during a certain extended period following the end of a rehabilitation services trial work period. Subtitle C: Work Incentives Planning, Assistance, and Outreach - Amends SSA title XI part A (General Provisions) to direct the Commissioner to establish a community-based work incentives outreach program for disabled beneficiaries that includes the provision of technical assistance to organizations and entities that are designed to encourage disabled beneficiaries to return to work. Provides that the costs of carrying out this subtitle shall be paid from amounts made available for administration of SSA titles II and XVI, and shall be allocated among such amounts as appropriate. (Sec. 222) Amends SSA title XI to authorize the Commissioner to make certain minimum payments in each State to the protection and advocacy system established under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act for the purpose of providing services to disabled beneficiaries, services which may include advocacy or other services that such a beneficiary may need to secure or regain gainful employment. Provides for funding similar to that in he paragraph above. Title III: Demonstration Projects and Studies - Amends the Social Security Disability Amendments of 1980 to provide for an extension of disability insurance program demonstration project authority to include any group of applicants for benefits under such program with impairments that may reasonably be presumed to be disabling for purposes of such demonstration project. (Sec. 302) Directs the Commissioner to conduct certain demonstration projects designed to provide for specified reductions in disability insurance benefits based on earnings. Requires expenditures for such demonstration projects to come out of the social security and Medicare trust funds to the extent provided in advance in appropriation acts. (Sec. 303) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Commissioner of Social Security and the Secretary of Health and Human Services should establish additional demonstration projects to assist individuals with disabilities to engage in work. (Sec. 304) Directs the Comptroller General to conduct and report to the Congress on various described studies concerning existing disability-related employment incentives and coordination of the OASDI disability insurance program and the SSI program as they relate to individuals entering or leaving concurrent entitlement under such programs, as well as on a study concerning the impact of the substantial gainful activity limit on return to work. Title IV: Technical Amendments - Amends the Contract with America Advancement Act of 1996 with respect to: (1) final adjudication of denied claims by drug addicts and alcoholics for SSA title II disability benefits; and (2) the effective dates of certain requirements concerning representative payees and treatment referrals for such individuals. (Sec. 402) Amends SSA title II to: (1) provide for payments to State and local prisons for monthly reports on the identities of inmates whose OASDI benefits are determined by the Commissioner not to be payable as a result of such reports; (2) provide for a 50 percent reduction in such payments under SSA titles II and XVI in cases involving a comparable payment under the other title with respect to the same prisoner; (3) exempt from the Privacy Act of 1974 any agreements with State and local prisons to supply such information; (4) transfer from the OASDI trust funds any sums necessary to enable the Commissioner to make such payments; (5) eliminate the requirement that confinement stem only from a crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one year (thus denying OASDI benefits to individuals confined for any criminal offense); and (6) provide for continued denial of benefits to sex offenders remaining confined to public institutions upon completion of prison term. (Sec. 403) Provides for a two-year open season for members of the clergy who wish to revoke their exemption from social security coverage. (Sec. 404) Amends SSA title XI to make a miscellaneous technical amendment relating to cooperative research or development projects under SSA titles II and XVI. (Sec. 405) Amends SSA title XI to make miscellaneous technical amendments to provisions concerning the requirements of State income and eligibility verification systems, among other changes allowing a State to permit certain employers that make returns with respect to domestic service employment taxes on a calendar year basis to instead make such reports on an annual basis.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 1999
Makes veterans who have been awarded the Purple Heart eligible for veterans' hospital care and medical services. Provides such veterans with a priority in the veterans' system of annual patient enrollment.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1999
Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1999 - Repeals the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935. Prescribes procedural guidelines for both Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and State access to records of a holding company (including subsidiaries, associates and affiliates) of a public utility or natural gas company. Precludes such State access to any person that is a holding company solely by reason of ownership of one or more qualifying facilities under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act. Subjects production of records to such terms and conditions as may be necessary and appropriate to safeguard against unwarranted disclosure to the public of trade secrets or sensitive commercial information. Instructs FERC to promulgate a final rule to exempt specified holding companies from such access requirements. Requires FERC to exempt any person or transaction from such access requirements if it finds that regulation of such person or transaction is irrelevant to the jurisdictional rates of a public utility or natural gas company. 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. 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. Grants FERC certain Federal Power Act enforcement powers. 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. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Federal Power Act to repeal its conflict of jurisdiction guidelines.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1999
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 2000 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, an analysis of funding levels across Federal agencies by funding methodology, and specific proposals for infrastructure development and R&D capacity building in States with less concentrated R&D resources. Requires the Director of the Office of Science Technology Policy 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 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 as defined under current law. Directs the head of an agency, for each program activity or component identified as being below the acceptable level of success for two consecutive fiscal years, to: (1) submit to the appropriate congressional committees a concise statement of the steps necessary to bring such program into compliance with performance goals; or (2) terminate such program should compliance efforts fail. Requires the inclusion of any legislative changes needed to effectuate the steps contained in such statement.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1999
Blind Persons Earnings Equity Act - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to restore the link ended by the Senior Citizens' Freedom to Work Act of 1995 between the rules relating to substantial gainful activity for blind individuals and the rules relating to excess earnings under the social security earnings test for individuals who have attained retirement age (thus allowing blind individuals, once again, to earn up to the social security excess earnings threshold without being regarded as having demonstrated an ability to engage in substantial gainful activity and without losing entitlement to OASDI benefits).
![Official portrait of Sen. Sarbanes, Paul S. [D-MD]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s000064_200.jpg)